Alone Together
by girl-at-home13
Summary: Growing up a Dixon, Riley learned not to be weak. She couldn't afford to be, with two absentee parents and two brothers running wild. An apocalypse has descended, and Riley's just trying to survive it. Hoping things will miraculously get better, possibly taking a chance on first love, holding onto her humanity. In a world as ravaged as this, giving up is not an option. OC/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this story is told from Riley Dixon's POV mostly, it may shift to Daryl's or my other OC Sebastian's POV, he is Riley's friend/love interest (maybe). This story starts from season 1 episode 3 and goes from there. I hope you guys like it! Please read and review good or bad, I don't mind! : ) **

**Riley's looks are based off a younger Emily VanCamp and Sebastian's looks are based off of Bobby Morley (from The 100) :)**

**Chapter 1: **

It was early in the morning; the sun was just starting to rise above the city of Atlanta, in the distance. It's been a few weeks since the entire world went to complete and udder chaos, or as I like to say shit. By that I mean a zombie apocalypse. A plague spread throughout the world, causing people to die, but they didn't really die, they came back as something else, something more sinister than a ghost. These people, I don't know if they even classify as people anymore, that miraculously come back to life, in a way, feed on human flesh. They're savages and scavengers and show no signs of the people they once were. They aren't people anymore, at least not to us, the survivors, to us; they're known as the walking dead…

I was crouched down in some high grass, looking out over the destroyed city. There's no way anyone is still alive in the city, after the bombs. It's not possible, if the bombs didn't kill them the walkers did. We were lucky I guess; we got out in time. I don't even know the meaning of the word luck, my entire life I haven't had any good luck. My father was an abusive drunk, and my mother well she wasn't a saint to say the least.

Thinking of my parents makes me want to hide under a rock and never come out. Who knows what happened to them. Where they are now, is uncertain. They used to pop in and out of our lives everyone once in a while. Dad would stumble home drunk from the bar, beat us and destroy the house, then he'd be off again, leaving Daryl, Merle and I to pick up the pieces. Eventually he just stopped stumbling in. I liked it better that way. Us Dixons have been on our own from the beginning, and so we've managed to keep each other safe.

A few weeks ago we were running on fumes, hadn't eaten in three or four days and we came across the camp we are currently residing in. The people were nice; at least they seemed to be. Daryl and Merle wanted to rob them and move on, but somehow I'd managed to convince them to stay for a little bit. I don't know why I even wanted to stay with these people we hardly knew; I guess they seemed somewhat normal. Okay, they were normal compared to some of the other whack jobs we'd run across since all of this happened… Now it's just my brothers and I and what's left of the human race.

I flicked a bug off my ripped up jeans and touched the grass, letting it trickle through my fingers. It was covered in dew. The sun eased up over the horizon, showcasing what was once a beautiful city, what was once my home. I remember sitting in class, when the military started to evacuate the high school. We were ordered to go home pack our things, and head out of the city as soon as possible. The news had been following the story of the outbreak when it started in New York; no one thought it would travel as fast and as severely as it did.

Sometimes I like to get up early in the morning and come up here on the hill not far from our camp and watch the sunrise or set for the day. It's kind of the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. Daryl and Merle yell at me every time I come alone, it's not safe they say. No kidding. I wiped my cheek, brushing away a few stray tears that had fallen down my face. I heard a rustling behind me in the bushes, some twigs snapped as well. Slowly, I turned and pulled the gun I'd lifted from this guy Shane's tent, out of the back of my pants, Daryl had allowed me to carry a knife, but guns were a huge no. Which I think is complete bullshit; I don't want to be close enough to a walker to knife him. I want to be far enough away to shoot it. He didn't want me to have to live with shooting something, if it's trying to kill me, I think I could handle shooting it, but that's Daryl, always looking out for me.

Standing the rest of the way up I held the gun out in front of me with both hands, my finger grazing the trigger, ready to pull it if I have to. The rustling continued and I took off the safety. Taking a step forward I saw Carl come walking up the hill. Taking a deep breath, and crouching down on my knees I slid the gun in the back of my pants, "What the hell are you doing?" I snapped. He looked at me and rolled his eyes, and walked up beside me. Carl was the son of Lori, one of the ladies in camp that has sort of taken me under her wing. Daryl and Merle aren't always exactly the best role models, but they try to be, well Daryl tries, Merle is just well Merle. He marches to his own beat. They are both usually off hunting so I sort of got attached to Lori and Carl. She's a better mom than I ever had.

"I could have shot you! You're not supposed to be out here wondering around in the woods alone, like an idiot." I said, standing back up. Carl was ten years old, but wise beyond his years, sometimes. Right now, he's being a dummy, and a huge pain in my ass. Shaking my head at him I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't shoot me, and you shouldn't be out here alone either. So, who's telling Lori what?" he said, smirking, he had an apple in his hand. I snatched it and took a big bite, letting the juice from it drip down my chin before handing it back. "We aren't telling Lori anything," I whispered, winking at him. We laughed a little, it seemed wrong to laugh sometimes. Like how can you find happiness with everything going on? It doesn't seem right.

"Why do you come up here so much Riley?" Carl asked, jumping up onto some nearby rocks. "Be careful, you could fall." I told him, walking closer to him. The thought of losing him or Lori or my brothers made my stomach turn. I couldn't imagine anything happening to them. I've already lost so much in my life; I don't think I can handle anymore.

"I don't know; I like being alone sometimes. Plus, it's quiet, when you aren't sneaking up here to bother me." I said helping him down. He laughed a snarky laugh and pulled on some of the grass looking out over the city.

"You think anything's left out there?" he asked, looking up at me with those big brown eyes. His tiny face was full of freckles and his skin was covered in dirt. "I doubt it." I whispered, throwing some grass on the ground that I'd torn apart in my hand.

"We should head back to camp, before Shane realizes his Pistols gone." I told Carl, patting his head and pulling him along beside me. I thought Shane was Lori's husband when I first met him, but it turns out he was just friends with her actual husband. He'd died in the city from a shootout or something.

The camp we were staying in was near a quarry so we had fresh water close by, and a supply of fish, if you could catch them. We stayed quiet, and prayed no walkers would make their way up here. Carl and I walked for about ten minutes, cautiously through the woods and rocks to get back to camp.

As we walked up we could see Shane, sitting in a camping chair, near a simmered down fire. He looked pissed, guess he knows his guns gone. Of course he did, he was a freaking watch dog. Every move we made he knew about it. He got up and headed over towards us. I stopped with Carl near the RV and pulled the Pistol out and locked it into safety. Shane yanked it out of my hands, forcefully I might add.

"What did Lori and I tell you guys about leaving camp," he asked looking us both in the eye. Carl sort of recoiled behind me and whispered, "She said not too."

"Exactly," Shane said staring at me, "Run along Carl. Go find your momma." He told him, I gave Carl a small smile and started to walk off myself when Shane grabbed my arm forcing me to stop; I rolled my eyes and whipped around to face him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You aren't fit to carry a weapon like this; you don't even know how to use it. I've told you countless times to stop wondering off without telling anyone. Plus, you took your Carl with you." He hissed at me, I could smell the alcohol still on his breathe from last night. "It's not that hard, you just point and shoot right?" I asked placing my hands on my hips and staring him down, raising my eyebrows. I didn't like Shane, especially when I found out he'd been sleeping with Lori. It hasn't even been that long since her husband died. Plus, I think he's a giant prick.

"You're only seventeen years old, and book smart not living in a world like this smart." He told me, holstering the weapon. Thanks for pretty much just calling me stupid in a nice way, jackass. Carl had told me Shane was his dad Rick's partner; they were cops before all this went down. Shane still tries to act like a cop, in my opinion and a rent a dad with Carl and me somewhat.

"Look, I get you're pissed I took your gun, I'm sorry, but it's back safe and sound. You aren't my father, so you don't get to tell me what to do Shane. I don't answer to you, I answer to my brothers." I told him, he looked at me surprised, running his fingers through his black hair. I rolled my eyes shrugging my shoulders and smirked at him as I walked off.

It was still early in the afternoon, the sun was directly over us, and I was lying in our tent reading _Pride and Prejudice _for the third or fourth time. It was the only book I'd had in my bag when we left the house. Dale, the older man that shared camp with us had a few others in his camper, but I'd read them all already. Camp was quiet for the most part, half of the people had gone on a supply run, but that was a few days ago. I wonder how they're doing…

I was tired of reading so I shoved my book under my pillow and crawled out of the tent. I walked over towards Lori and Carl and Shane sitting by the fire and stopped to put my hair in a messy bun. It was a total rat's nest and needed to be dyed again, it was a dirty blonde color, with some rain bowed lowlights. I guess when the world virtually ends you stop worrying about things like that, although, I never really cared about things like that before all this anyway. I dyed it mostly just to piss Daryl off, because he told me not too.

Lori was giving Carl a much needed haircut, while Shane sat there and brandished his firearms. I sat down next to Lori. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye; she knew I took off this morning. I don't know why she even cares, I'm not her responsibility. I'm not her daughter. I guess she sees me that way though, especially since I bonded with Carl so much.

"Just yell at me and get it over with, I know Shane told you." I said picking at a loose string on my pants. I hadn't changed my clothes in a few days, because that would require washing them, I've just been so worn out, I haven't felt like it. So I was wearing my favorite ripped up jeans, a cream colored tank top that was lose at the bottom and my brown leather knee high boots.

"I'm not going to yell, you're old enough to know better." She said as she trimmed some hair off the back of Carl's head trying to keep everything even, throwing the hair on the ground for the birds. I picked up an apple and started to crunch away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Carl was going to follow me." I whispered after a moment, Shane squirmed a little. What's that all about? She hugged me, and continued working. I leaned back in the chair and ate my apple quietly. Carl kept squirming away from the scissors causing me to laugh, he's going to be all bald headed in the back if he doesn't stop moving.

"Baby, if you keep fidgeting it's just going to take even longer. So don't, okay? Lori said, Shane started to load more rounds into his gun. "I'm trying!" Carl answered; annoyed he had to sit still for ten minutes. I took another bite of my apple.

"If you think this is bad, just you wait until you start shaving now that stinks." He said, as he lifted the shotgun into the air, now that's my kind of gun. One shot and half your head or chest is blown off.

Violence on television has desensitized me to all of this. That and Daryl and I have played a lot of Call of Duty. I don't care though. "The day's going to come when you'll be wishing for one of your momma's haircuts." Shane said, shooting Lori a smile. I rolled my eyes and crunched louder hoping it would drown out his voice. "I'll believe that when I see it," Carl replied, pouting.

"I'll tell you what, you get through this with some manly dignity, and I'll teach you something special. I will teach you how to catch frogs." Shane said, flipping the shot gun over in his hands. "We've caught a frog before," Carl said referring to him and me catching one at the creek before. It was slimy, and so weird to hold it in your hands. "Frogs, plural, as in more than one, it's an art form my friend. Not to be taken lightly." Shane continued on and on.

"The ways of means, few people even know about it." Shane went on, still screwing around with the shot gun. What the hell is he doing with it? It never took my brothers this long to do anything with any of their weapons. "I'm willing to share my secrets with you." Shane said to Carl, smirking at them both.

Lori doesn't know I know about her and Shane hooking up, it's pretty obvious if you ask me. Carl glanced at me, as I threw my apple core over hand into the woods from my chair, laughing when it barely made it three feet, then at Lori. "Don't look at me, I'm a girl. You talk to him." she said gesturing towards Shane. He laughed and said, "It's a onetime offer, bud. Not to be repeated."

"Why do we need frogs, plural?" Carl asked, he was still so innocent. Still so young, none of this has really affected his spirits or ability to enjoy everyday things, although he still cries himself to sleep at night and sneaks over into my tent, especially when Lori's off with Shane.

"You ever ate frog legs?" Shane asked, I laughed and looked at Carl, it was an inside joke we had. When we had caught the frog the one time I'd given him all of the candy I'd had stashed to kiss it, and he did. Carl smacked me in the leg; we swore never to speak of it again.

"Ew, gross!" Carl squealed, "No, yum!" Shane exclaimed. It would be a nice change from the fish we've been eating every night. "He's right, Ew." Lori said, combing Carl's hair out. Shane laughed and eyed mom up, "When you get down to that last can of beans, you'll love them frog legs, lady." He told her, "It'll be all, Shane do you think I could have a second helping of them, just one." He said in a mock girl tone. "I doubt that," she retorted. They both laughed and made googley eyes at each other; I've seen enough of this. I stood up, and brushed myself off.

"Don't listen to her man, you and me will be hero's, feeding these people Cajun style Kermit legs." Shane told Carl, Lori replied but I'd lost interest in the conversation. I could hear something going on in the distance but I couldn't make out what the sound was. It really startled us so we headed over to join the others on the ridge, well Lori and Carl did. I decided to get a better vantage point and joined Dale on top of the RV.

He was the lookout most days; he'd sit up there and keep watch for approaching walkers. He lent me a hand as I climbed the ladder. We walked to the edge, he handed me a pair of binoculars, holding them up to my face, and I peered down onto the road below. "Is it them?" my friend Amy yelled from the ground. "I can't tell yet." I answered. "A stolen car is my guess." I said back to her.

At first I couldn't see anything, after focusing in on the road better and adjusting the binoculars I could see a red dodge challenger speeding its way up into the quarry, gravel flying behind it. As it got closer I climbed down, it came to stop right in the center of camp, and the alarm was still blaring, piercing your ears. "Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale yelled from the roof of the RV. Glenn had gotten out of the car; he was one of the people that went on a supply run. He used to be a pizza delivery boy; he delivered to our house a few times.

"I don't know how!" he yelled back, slamming the door shut to the car behind him. "Where's my sister?" Amy asked, worriedly. Her sister had gone as well; this didn't look good at all. Shane ran over and popped the hood, pulling and twisting on some wire on the engine, eventually yanking out the alarm wire. It was quiet again, for a moment. Everyone bombarded Glenn with questions about their loved ones who still hadn't returned yet. He answered as fast as he could, saying they were on their way.

"You're crazy driving this blaring thing up here," Shane yelled at Glenn. He recoiled and looked at the ground. Walkers are drawn to noise, so this was like a flashing sign saying hey, come eat us. "I think we're alright." Dale said, he was old but he still held his own with everyone.

"It's hard to pinpoint where that sound was coming from, with all the mountains. But it wouldn't hurt for you to think things through once in a while." Dale told Glenn, "Sorry, but I got a cool car." He replied, I laughed and hugged him, as a huge white box truck pulled up the dirt road. It must be the others returning. I stepped back and peered inside the car, it was a really nice car. I heard Amy run to her sister Andrea, and I turned around and watched as each family was reunited with their loved ones. Glancing back at Lori and Carl, I could tell he was crying.

"How'd you get out of there?" Shane asked, gesturing towards the city. "New guys," Glenn said, walking past. "They just rolled into town." He continued. Glenn gestured for the new guys to get out of the truck, when they did my heart stopped. I recognized the person from a photograph Carl had showed me, of his father.

"Lori" I said, trying to get her attention. How is this freaking possible, he's supposed to be dead. He was walking up the dirt road slowly, wearing a dirty sheriff's uniform. I stumbled backwards and made my way over towards Lori and Carl, making them finally see who it was.

"Carl?" he said stunned. He kept looking around thinking it can't be real that I'm seeing my wife and son again. His hair was a little longer than what it was in the photograph I'd seen, and his beard had grown in quite a bit too. I stepped out of the way as Carl and Lori broke into a run to get to him.

"Daddy!" I heard Carl cry as he pulled them into a hug. I was so caught up in them all crying and yelling and hugging each other that I barely noticed the guy that walked past us. He was young, probably my age a little older maybe. He had short shaggy brown hair, with a strong jaw line. He had a backpack slung over his one shoulder and a rifle on the other; he glanced at me then back at the ground as he walked by, who the hell is that? Trailing behind him was a dog, German Shepard to be exact. His fur was matted and covered in blood stains.

Everyone in camp stood around as another family was reunited. Something I thought would never happen. I mean, Shane told them he was dead, as in not alive. It doesn't make sense; he had to have known that he was alive, right? I stepped back to wipe the tears out of my eyes while I watched Carl and Lori hug Rick. They got the one person they never thought they would see again, back. How could you not tear up watching it? I glanced at Shane, and to my surprise he seemed genuinely happy that Rick was here, that he'd found his family against all odds.

I was expecting to have seen my moron brother Merle by now, he went with them. He's not here. He didn't slip past me either. I walked over towards Glenn, "Where's Merle?" I asked, already fearing the worst. Glenn avoided looking at me. What the hell happened just spit it out. "What?" I asked again, turning to face him. "Well we sort of had an incident with Merle; I don't really want to be the one to tell you." He said, ducking his head.

"Just tell me, is he dead?" I said, panicking a little. Glenn shook his head no, and I breathed out finally.

"But he might be soon.." Glenn continued. I stood there and listened to Glenn tell me how they left my ass hat of a brother chained to a roof. All because he couldn't keep his opinions to himself, and he put the lives of everyone else in the group in danger. Yeah, that sounds like Merle alright. "I'm sorry, we didn't have a choice." Glenn said, as I started to walk away.

"Don't apologize to me; Daryl is the one who's going to flip a brick." I said, as I spun on my heels to face him again. Today started off being a decent day, now not so much. Merle what did you do? I took a deep breath and headed off to try and find Daryl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I'd had no luck finding Daryl; he was off on a hunting expedition like every other day, like it was the freaking hunger games. It was nearly impossible to locate him in the woods by myself. I stumbled around in the woods for a while, but eventually decided to head back into camp. Maybe Lori's husband can explain what the hell happened with Merle better than Glenn did. That and how we are supposed to go after him.

I spotted Lori and Rick coming out of the RV hand in hand, I smiled slightly as I walked up to them. Lori met me with a wide grin and pulled me into a tiny hug, "Rick, this is Riley. She's been the little bird helping me with Carl these past few weeks." Lori told Rick, who nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you, for helping out with Carl." He said to me as I shook his hand gently, very formal guy I thought.

Last time I remember shaking someone's hand was when I applied to be a waitress at the diner up the road from our trailer at the time. I thought the manager was decent he shook my hand, and then tried to force him-self on me in return for the job. I kneed him in the crotch and walked out. Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

"I need to talk about my brother Merle, how could you just leave him behind?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Looking him straight in the eye, Rick bowed his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I did what was necessary to get us all out of their alive." Rick answered as Carl ran over for Rick to pick him up. "But you left him there, my brother, my flesh and blood. He's all I have!" I said, my voice rising higher and higher. Lori touched my arm, but I yanked it away quickly out of her grasp.

"I understand that you are upset, but it was unavoidable." Rick said, "Upset?" I asked, half laughing.

"No, I'm calm compared to how my other brother Daryl is going to react." I said; before I shot Lori a look and I took off down towards the quarry.

My stomach was in knots thinking about my brother out there all alone, although a part of me knows he probably deserved to get left behind. I know I'm terrible for thinking that too. Merle isn't exactly a model citizen, not now or before the world went to shit. He's been in and out of jail, on and off every drug imaginable and to be honest he's a prick ninety percent of the time.

But, regardless he's family, the same with Daryl. They're all I have, all I've ever had really… They've taken care of me a majority of my life, besides the year Merle was in for robbery, and Daryl was in jail for possession for three months, but that's beside the point…

Later that night everyone in camp was huddled around the crackling fire near the RV. It was the end of summer, getting ready to head into fall, so the temperature at night had already begun to decrease substantially. I pulled the hood up on my black and pink under armor hoodie, and shoved my hands into the pockets. Lori was sitting in Ricks lap along with Carl. I was sitting between them and the new guy, with my knees tucked up under my chin.

The new guy that I'd noticed earlier was sitting on the ground in the group with his hands over his knees picking apart some wheat he'd been chewing on ignoring everyone else talking; his dog was lying next to him.

The guy hadn't said much to anyone in camp that I've noticed since he arrived. I wonder where they found him. Why hasn't he talked to anyone? I'm seventeen, so he's got to be eighteen or nineteen years old at best. Where's his family? I was staring at him, without knowing it and was startled when he looked at me; I quickly looked away into the burning fire. Watching as the flames flickered up and down, racing each other to the top.

"Disoriented, I guess that comes closest. Disoriented, fear, confusion all those things, but disoriented comes closest." Rick said, he was explaining to the group what had happened to him since he'd last seen his family.

"Words can be a meager thing. Sometimes they fall short." Dale, the old man said, sitting his coffee cup down by his feet.

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life, put somewhere else." Rick continued, staring blankly at the fire.

"For a while I thought I was just in a coma, or a dream, something I might not wake up from ever." He said, pulling Carl onto his lap.

"Mom said you died," Carl whispered out, looking up at his father. Rick glanced at Carl then Lori, "She had every reason to believe that, and don't you ever doubt it." Rick told Carl, rubbing the top of his head. I shot Shane a look; he was staring at Lori. Something is so off about him, and his entire story about Rick, I don't know why, but I just have a bad feeling about him.

I noticed the new guy staring at me, giving me the one over. So, I stared back at him, challenging him. Why was he looking at me that way? I'm nowhere near being pretty, I'm average. After a few moments he looked away and sort of smirked a little, clearly I'd won the battle. He reached down and petted the dog lying next to him.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were going to medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta. That never happened?" Lori said her voice cracking lightly at on the last word. "No, and I'm not surprised that Atlanta failed. From the look of that hospital I was in, it got overrun." Rick said, pulling his wife in closer towards him.

"Look's ain't deceiving either." Shane chimed in, this was the longest I'd ever heard him be quiet. "I barely got them out," Shane continued, pointing at Lori and Carl. Rick smiled slightly, and nodded his head, "I can't thank you enough, I can't tell you how grateful I am to you Shane. I'll never be able to express it enough." Rick said leaning in to kiss the side of Lori's head. "There you go with those words falling short again," Dale said, causing everyone to laugh slightly.

"So how did you get caught up with everyone?" Amy asked the new guy, he glanced up at her scratching the back of his head nervously. "Rick found me, raiding the police department." He said, he seemed like he really didn't want to talk right now. "What's your name?" Amy pressed again. I'd become pretty close with her since we'd settled into camp, she was the only other kid close to my age, besides Glenn. He was in his twenties. So it was nice to have a friend to share some of the lighter moments with. Amy was boy crazy, that's for sure. Too bad they're all flesh eating zombies I thought.

"Sebastian, but I like being called Bash," he answered. Amy smiled, and was about to ask him another question when Ed got up and threw another piece of wood into the fire, making the flames and smoke arch higher into the air, the glowing embers drifted in the light breeze above. "Hey Ed," Shane said, glancing at him as he sat back down. "You want to rethink that log man."

"It's cold." Ed replied, leaning his head back into the camping chair he'd claimed. Ed was married to Carol, there daughter Sophia was about the same age as Carl. Ed was an asshole, he treated Carol like shit and she took it, Ed always shot Amy and me looks that made me feel uncomfortable. "Cold doesn't change the rules does it?" Shane asked getting agitated by Ed's actions.

"Keep our fires low just to embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane pressed. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife, everyone in the circle sort of coward away from the confrontation taking place. Shane was an ass, don't get me wrong, but he did know how to keep us alive, I've got to give him credit for that.

"I said its cold, why don't you mind your own business for once?" Ed replied to Shane, I could tell what this was about to turn into. I pulled the hood on my sweatshirt up over my head and glanced at Bash, he looked like he was in serious thought about something. He flicked me a glance and I looked away again.

Why do I keep staring at him, he's not even that good looking, okay, if I'm being honest he's cute, but still. I guess it's just because he's new, like the new shiny toy you bring to class that everyone wants to play with. I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my own thoughts.

Shane got up and walked over and stood in front of Ed, "You sure you want to have this conversation, Ed?" He asked, arching his eye brows at him. Everyone around the fire shifted uncomfortably.

Ed glanced up, staring at Shane debating on what his next move should be. After a moment Ed half laughed and shook his head and ordered his wife Carol to simmer the fire down. It was just like Ed had strings tied to Carol like a puppet; she immediately obeyed his command and did as she was told. Shane stomped out a few stray embers and apologized to Carol and Sophia. They both nodded their heads.

"Has anyone given much thought about how we are going to explain this to Daryl? He's not going to be too happy that his brother was left behind." Dale said looking at me, warming his hands over the fire.

"I'm not happy about it myself." I stated dryly, looking at Andrea and Glenn and T-Dog.

Bash's dog had crept its way over towards me, so I placed my hand on its head and scratched behind its ears. "We tell Daryl the truth, something had to be done or he would have gotten us all killed. If Merle got left behind it's his damn fault. Your husband did the right thing." Andrea said looking at Lori, "You know your brother Riley and you know how he acts." She said apologetically, "Yeah, he's a dick we all know that, but is that really enough reason to leave him behind to be killed!" I said, getting agitated.

"That's what we tell Daryl, I don't see a reasonable conversation coming out of that." Dale said, looking at Andrea and the others. Daryl and Merle and I were wild cards that stumbled across these people, they'd been kind enough to take us in and help us, but right now I sort of hate them all, my brothers were obnoxious and well Merle was just a dick, simple as that. Daryl kept to himself. Me, I try to be the smart one, think things through.

"I was scared, and I'm not ashamed of that." T-Dog whispered, "I had enough time to chain the door to the roof shut before all them geeks came. But, it's not going to hold them off for long. Not that chain, or that padlock."

"My point is, Dixon's alive, still up there handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog continued before getting up and walking away. It wasn't long after that before everyone surrounding the fire worked their way towards their tents. Bash and I were the last ones to get up; I was still petting his dog. It was lying next to me, keeping me warm. I gently lifted its head off my knee, and stood up. Bash patted his leg and whistled lightly so the dog would come to him, but it remained standing next to me, so I crouched down and rubbed its ears more. "What's its name?" I asked.

"Dog," Bash replied, he had a faint accent to his voice. Not much but you could tell it was there.

"You named your dog, Dog?" I asked, holding back a laugh. Bash knelt down beside me and started scratching the dogs back. He smirked a little, and then it faded away. "It's just a dog, I didn't even plan on keeping the damn thing, it just wouldn't quit following me, and so I don't really know what to do with it." He said, "Well you could have come up with a better name." I said, as Dog licked the side of my cheek. I laughed.

"Be a good boy." I whispered before standing up to head to bed. "Maybe you can come up with a better name then smartass." Bash said, as I walked away slowly. "I'll think about it." I said, before standing up to head to bed. I was about to leave Dog and Bash when I noticed he was laughing. "What?" I asked, confuse? Did I have dirt on my ass, I hope not.

"You don't remember me do you?" He said, stepping closer towards me, I don't know him. I've never met him before ever. "I don't think so." I said, timidly. He ducked his head down and rubbed the back of his neck. "We went to high school together for a few weeks. I saw you a few times in the halls, and then you seemed to just disappear. I didn't think it was you until I saw the scar on your neck." He said, pointing at the scar. He made me think for a second. I ran my fingers across the scar, remembering how I got it. The images flashed in my mind quickly…

"Yeah, I uh we moved away." I said, faintly remembering seeing him in the hallway once or twice. I hated high school, I liked doing the work, but I hated everything else about high school, the popular girls, who bullied me, the asshole jocks. It was all just a big competition. I was teased mercifully over my redneck brothers too.

"Well it's nice to see that you're not a zombie." He joked, causing me to smile a little, "Yeah," I whispered, "Well I'm sorry I didn't remember you, high school seems so far off now. Like a dream or something." I said, tucking some hair behind my ear, "Well I'll leave the two of you alone." I said, waving and turning to head to bed. Why did I wave to him? I'm a freaking moron. Whatever, he doesn't matter. What are the odds I would run across someone I went to high school with though, seriously? I tossed and turned all night, wondering where the hell my brothers were and if either of them were still alive…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I awoke in the morning to someone or rather, something licking the side of my face. I covered my face with my arms, and then eventually opened my eyes slowly one at a time. It was Dog; he was standing above my face panting with his head cocked to the side. I sat up slightly, and rubbed the top of its head.

"What are you doing in here? Huh?" I asked, knowing I'm insane for talking to a dog, but people do it all the time so I guess I'm not that crazy. I stood up and pulled my boots on one at a time, everyone was already up for the day.

I removed my sweatshirt and tank top and pulled on a black t-shirt, it was old and said, Harley Davidson on the front. Dog nudged my leg, I dug through my bag and found a pair of old holey socks and rolled them into a ball, holding them in front of Dog, his ears perked up and he hunkered down playfully. I laughed, "You want it?" I said, moving out of the tent, Dog jumping behind me. I was standing outside of the tent with Dog teasing him with the sock ball when I noticed Lori and Rick talking by the clothes lines.

They must be talking about something serious because Lori looks worried. I'm hoping they are talking about how the hell we're supposed to go after my brother. Speaking of brothers, Daryl still isn't back yet, which is sort of worrying me now, but he's probably fine. At least I hope he's fine…

Dog nudged my hand, so I stepped forward a few feet and threw the ball down the road a little ways. It didn't make it very far, but Dog happily ran after it.

"You throw like a girl," a voice said behind me, I spun on my heels quickly to see Bash standing there. "I am a girl." I retorted. He smirked, and walked up beside me more. He had on jeans and a navy blue and black plaid shirt that looked like it hadn't been washed in forever. His hair was tasseled all over his head, making him look sort of cute in a way. Dog came barreling up the road and skidded to a stop in front of us, I took the sock ball and tossed it to Bash.

"Think you can do better?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him. The sun was already out and up to a full blaze and it wasn't even noon yet. Bash looked at the ball and Dog, and then handed it back to me. Our fingertips touched lightly, they tingled a little when we touched, what the hell is that all about? "Nah, I'm good." He said. He doesn't want to play with a dog? Does he even have a heart, I thought?

"How long have you had him?" I asked, flinging the ball into the air again. Shane came pulling up in his jeep, with water from the quarry. I heard him reminding everyone to boil it before using it. He stared at Lori and Rick, before turning and walking in the opposite direction. "Not long, he just sort of started following me. I don't want him." Bash replied after a moment.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as Dog dropped the ball in front of me. I picked it up and flung it again. "Why not, he's so sweet." I said, brushing some hair behind my ear. "Yeah, he's sweet. But it's just something else to worry about. It's enough just keeping myself alive. Let alone a stupid animal." Bash replied sort of harshly.

"Who pissed in your cheerio's this morning?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. He was about to reply when we heard someone scream in the distance, I whipped my head around facing the direction the sound had come from, I was looking at the woods. The voice screamed again and I knew it was Carl.

Rick, Lori and Shane took off into the woods followed by everyone else. I ran after them as well. Please be okay. Please be okay. I kept repeating to myself, hoping it would somehow help. I didn't realize Bash was behind me until he grabbed my arm to keep me from tumbling down a hill into a tiny creek bed. I glanced at him thankfully as we continued to run.

Lori had Carl wrapped in her arms just on the other side of the wire fence we had built. We put wire around the majority of our camp and hung old aluminum cans on it, hoping it would keep the walkers out or at the very least make enough noise to alert us that one was approaching our camp. "Are you hurt? We're you bit, scratched? Anything at all?" Lori asked Carl, furiously checking him over. I stopped a few feet out to catch my breath and leaned down placing my hands on my knees. I was wheezing pretty heavily.

"You okay?" Bash asked, standing a few feet away from me. I nodded my head, and stood up, pulling my inhaler out of my back pocket. After taking a few hits off out my chest loosened up a bit. "Damn, you're an easy meal." Bash joked as he climbed under the fence heading in the direction Rick and Shane went.

"Yeah, I know." I said, as I walked past him. I was born two months premature, and my lungs never fully developed so that left me with one lung smaller than the other, resulting in asthma. My parents never paid attention enough to even know I had asthmas, Daryl figured it out.

I hugged Carl and checked on Sophia the little girl he'd been playing with. Carol was crying and holding her close. They both seemed fine, which was good. I walked a little further into the woods, stepping over rocks and tree roots and trying not to break my neck. I stopped in a small clearing a few feet away from Shane and Rick.

They were standing there staring at a walker shredding through a deer. The walker looked like a homeless person, ratty clothes, matted down hair. It must have finally heard everyone standing behind it, because it stood up slowly and turned to face us. Its movements were slow and distinct. Its face was distorted and covered in blood from the chin down, it was actually dripping blood. Looking at it made me feel sick to my stomach, thinking that was once a person, just like me.

I stepped back a few inches, as all of the men yielding weapons surrounded it. I stumbled backwards into Bash, causing me to jump a little. He put his arm out so I wouldn't fall flat on my ass. We both stood back and watched as everyone took a swing at the walker, hitting it with a bat, and metal digging bar barely phased it. Glenn had a pitchfork and stabbed it in the leg, resulting in blood squirting everywhere. I've seen walkers get killed before, but never this close up. It was awful to watch, I placed my hand over my mouth and coward away from the entire scene unfolding in front of me. I turned into Bash's side for moment. I felt his hand graze the side of my hip before I eventually turned back around.

They were still beating this thing, this monster. It was wailing and making sounds that I thought could only be heard in like Jurassic Park or something. I felt Bash walk past me, he picked up an Axe Shane had dropped and walked over into the crowd of people, he pulled the axe back and swung it full force at the walkers head. It hit it on an angle, chopping its head clean off, a dark burgundy substance flew everywhere, blood. Bash dropped the axe and took a step back as everyone stood there in shock, and relief.

"That's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain." Dale stated, while everyone tried to catch their breath. My friend Amy walked up beside me, nudging me with her shoulder. "New guy's kind of hot." She whispered. I shot her a look, really after everything that just happened that's what you're thinking about? "His name is hot too." She said, raising her eyebrows at me." She wants to flirt and I'm trying not to barf up what we ate for dinner last night. That's about right.

"They've been running out of food in the city." Some guy with a baseball cap said, I'd moved a little closer to hear what they were saying, Amy in tow. The walker's head was still sort of twitching. We all heard a rustling in the trees to our right; everyone raised their weapons and waited for what was most likely another walker. The trees continued to rustle, and we heard twigs snapping, followed by my brother Daryl coming out of the woods holding his crossbow. I felt like I could breathe slightly better knowing he was alright. He glanced around at everyone staring at him, then at the deer lying gutted on the ground. "Son of a bitch! That was my deer." Daryl spat out, pissed off.

"Daryl!" I hollered, running over and pulling him into a hug. He slung one arm around me, "Little sister." He said, he never called me by name. Only on a rare occasion would he say my full name, like when he's pissed at me. Daryl walked over towards the deer disgusted, "Look at it, it's all gnawed on by this filthy, disgusting, toxic bastard!" He yelled, while angrily kicking the dead walker's body. "Daryl," I hissed, grabbing his arm trying to get him to calm down.

"Calm down son, that's not helping." Dale said, standing off to the side, which wasn't what Daryl wanted to here, he walked over and got in Dale's face, "Shut up old man, what do you know about it!" He snapped at him. "Daryl! Stop it!" I hissed at him again, he completely ignored me. "Why don't you take that stupid hat of yours and go back to that golden pond." He continued saying, walking back over towards me. I looked at Dale apologetically.

"I've been tracking this deer for miles." Daryl said, pulling his arrows out of the dead deer, I should have recognized the arrows as being his before he even walked up. "I guess we can drag him back to camp, cook us up some venison, you think we can cut away all this chewed up shit here little sister," He said, pointing at the deer.

"Yeah, I wouldn't risk that." I shot back at him, he stepped back and examined the deer again, "Damn shame." Daryl said, "I did manage to get us some squirrels, so that'll have to do." He said adjusting the strap of squirrels on his shoulder, the walkers head had started to twitch and its eyes were opening,

"Come on people, what the hell!" Daryl spat out, loading an arrow into his crossbow and aiming it at the walkers head, he pulled the trigger and the arrow sailed right into the walker's eye. "It's got to be the brain, don't you all know anything?" Daryl asked accusingly as he walked past Rick, and Bash. He glanced at Bash as in saying who the hell are you? Daryl shooting the walker again did me in; I leaned over in a nearby bush and puked.

We'd all made our way back into camp. I could hear Daryl calling out to Merle that he'd caught a few squirrels as I brushed my teeth. I spit in the grass by our tent and noticed everyone huddled near the RV.

Everyone except Bash, he was peering into someone's tent, Shane's tent to be exact. He actually looked like he'd just come out of the tent if you ask me. He has no reason to be in there. I walked over towards him and noticed he had one of Shane's pistols tucked into the back of his pants. I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. He glared at me, "What's up princess?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know, you tell me?" I challenged. He smirked, and tried to walk away, but I stepped in front of him.

"Why do you have Shane's gun?" I whispered. He looked uncomfortable, or upset that he'd been caught stealing it. "I don't know what you're talking about, princess." He told me, playing dumb.

"You have a rifle, why would you take that?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at Daryl freaking out. Looks like the cats out of the bag; they must have told him what happened to Meryl. "The rifle need bullets dumbass. The pistol holds more rounds anyway." He said, whenever he said princess he meant it as an insult. He went to walk away from me again and I grabbed his arm, immediately letting it go.

"One, I'm far from being a dumbass, you jackass. Two, if you call me princess one more time, I'm going to royally kick your ass. Three, if you don't return that Shane will really will kick your ass, and then throw you out of camp. Is that what you want?" I told him, letting my voice rise a little. He looked at me like he was amused by the whole thing.

He laughed, "You really think I would actually stay here? You people are all insane. Thinking a camp like this is going to last long. You've already got walkers closing in around you. In a few weeks this place will be crawling with them, because where one goes more are likely to follow. I won't be around here to watch it happen." He said, as he rubbed his chin.

"So what's your plan, take us for everything we've got and then leave?" I asked, exasperated. "Why do you care?" he asked, leaning in a little. I shook my head, "I don't," I said as I shoved past him, knocking into his shoulder. He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stand still, he wasn't hurting me, but he had a firm grip on my arm. "This stays between us." He hissed back at me. "You're pathetic." I whispered as I went the rest of the way past him. What an asshole. We don't have anything really worth taking.

I ran up the hill a little towards the RB more to see Shane holding Daryl to the ground, while Rick tried to calm him down. "Stop!" I yelled, trying to shove Shane off of him, "I told you to wait for me to tell him!" I shouted, still yanking on Shane's arm.

"Now I'd like to have a calm discussion about this." He told Daryl, keeping his voice even and calm. Daryl struggled against Shane. "Do you think we can manage that Daryl?" Rick asked him, as Shane pulled the choke hold he had him in a little tighter. "Come on, Daryl. Just stop, alright? It's not helping." I said, kneeling down next to him. Daryl nodded his head slightly, and Shane released him. Daryl tried to catch his breath sitting on the gravel, "What I did was not done on a whim, your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick told Daryl crouching down beside him. I rubbed his arm, helping get to his feet, "You!" Daryl said, pointing a finger at me, "You already knew he was missing." He snapped at me,

"Calm the hell down! Yeah, I knew he was missing, what did you want me to do?" I asked, "It's not like I could go after him myself! We could have gone after him sooner if you weren't off in the woods like freaking Rambo." I shrieked out, tears working their way down my cheek.

"What happened was my fault. I dropped the key." T-Dog said, standing off to the side. Daryl's head shot up and he glared at him, "You couldn't it pick it up?" he spat out. Daryl looked like he was about to cry, which was rare because he's always such a hard ass. "I dropped it down a drain… I'm sorry." T-Dog said, looking at the ground. "That supposed to make me feel better." Daryl yelled, kicking the dirt on the ground in front of him.

"No, but this might, I chained the door to the roof shut, before the geeks got up there. So, there's a chance he's still on that roof." T-Dog explained. Daryl spat on the ground and whirled around looking at everyone in the group. "That's got to count for something." Rick said, stepping closer towards Daryl.

"Just tell me where the hell my brother is so I can go find him." Daryl said, desperately. "Tell me where he is!" He demanded when no one answered him the first time. "He can show you, can't you Rick." Lori said, I was shocked to hear those words come out of her mouth. Rick nodded, "I'm going back." He said, looking at Lori, and Carl, and everyone standing around. I didn't expect him to volunteer to go back, or for Lori to agree for him to go.

"I'm coming too." I said, looking at Rick and Daryl, "No, you're not. Your ass is staying here. I don't need to have to watch my back and yours." Daryl spat out, walking past me, heading to our tent. I spun on my heels and followed him, glaring at Bash lying on the ground as I walked by. "Having a nice nap?" I hissed out as I walked by him, "Just wonderful princess." Bash replied sarcastically.

I flung the tent door back and went inside, Daryl was loading a gun that had magically appeared in our tent, it was a hand gun, I watched as he hid it in the back of his pants, and swung around to face me.

"Where'd that come from?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, "Where do you think?" He retorted, meaning he'd lifted it while he was out hunting, I cleared my throat, "I'm coming with you." I said sternly, standing my ground. He's our brother; we should both go after him, in my opinion. Daryl half laughed, "I already told you no!" he yelled at me, he went to walk past me out of the tent and I grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn and face me.

"I can help, we both should go!" I argued, Daryl huffed, and touched my shoulder, "No. I don't know what we're going to find when we get there, I don't want you seeing it….if it's bad." He said, I flicked his hand off my shoulder and stormed off into the woods for a few minutes.

As I came out of the tree line I could hear Shane and Rick talking. Shane was questioning Rick's reasons for going after Merle. "He wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst. Rick, come on, Merle Dixon." Shane hollered, loud enough for everyone in camp to hear. "I wouldn't let a man die of thirst, that's not me. We left him on that roof like an animal caught in a trap." I heard Rick say as I sat down next to Lori. Dog was jogging over towards me; he brought me the sock ball. I patted his head, and listened to Rick and Shane go back and forth. Daryl was going after him, regardless if anyone else went with him.

I buried my face in my hands and shook my head, this is ridiculous. All they are doing now is wasting time. I should have just gone after him as soon as Glenn told me what had happened. That's what Daryl would have done. I guess I'm a little different than my brothers; I try not to make rash decisions in the blink of an eye. "Try not die." I said, as I walked past Daryl, he didn't say anything to me, just bowed his head slightly. I didn't stick around to listen to the rest of the conversation. I walked down to the quarry, Dog trailing behind me.

I was sitting on some nearby rocks when Carl came running up behind me and slammed into my back, wrapping his arms around my neck. "Get off of me dork!" I laughed. He didn't budge, "Come look for frogs with us." He demanded, I laughed and gave Carl a piggy back ride down the rest of the way into the quarry. God, this kid is a string bean, and heavy as hell I thought as we made it the rest of the way down. My dad and the others had left to go after Meryl. I didn't even say goodbye to him.

Once down at the quarry Carl and Shane started searching for frogs in the shallow water, they were planning on making fried frog legs for dinner, which at this point I'd probably eat, we haven't had anything besides fish for two weeks. I'm not complaining, I'm just ready for a little something different.

Some of the ladies in camp were washing clothes in the water; I waved to Andrea and Sophia's mom. They smiled and motioned for me to come over, so I did. I kneeled down and started to help them wash out some of the clothes, and listened to Carl and Shane frolicking in the water nearby. "I'm beginning to question the division of labor here." Andrea said, as she glanced at Ed, he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for walkers, but he was leaning against a car smoking cigarettes watching Carol. More like stalking her, good god man give her a freaking break, I thought as I wringed out someone's shirt in the water.

"Yeah how'd we get stuck doing all the work?" Amy asked, plopping her feet in the water. I splashed her, and she laughed. "The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" I teased. Everyone was relaxing and joking around even Carol, we were all laughing until Ed walked over towards us.

"What's so funny?" he asked, taking a hit off his cigarette. Everyone quieted down, all the laughter and smiles faded away. Those moments rarely happened, so I was more than pissed off that he'd rudely interrupted us. "Just swapping war stories Ed," Andrea said, hoping it would make him leave. Instead he stood over us, well over me and looked down at me. I glared up at him, "Problem Ed?" I asked, annoyed.

"None that concerns you." He spat back at me, I laughed a little under my breath and continued rinsing the clothing out. "You all should focus on your work, this ain't a comedy club." He said, blowing smoke in my direction. I stood up, and dropped the clothes on the ground, "Well Ed, if you don't like how the laundry is done, you're more than welcome to pitch in." I said, keeping my voice light and calm. I tossed him a wet rag playfully, only for him to throw it back in my face. "What is your damn problem?" I asked, stepping closer. I shouldn't have even opened my mouth, but I did so I might as well speak my mind.

"What's your damn job, sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" I asked, agitatedly. He blew smoke in my face again, knowing it was bad for my asthma. "It sure as hell isn't sitting here listening to some uppity smart mouth bitch tell me what to do." He spat the words out venomously. "Let's go." He ordered Carol. "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you." Andrea chimed in stepping in front of me.

"Well that's none of your business now is it?" Ed spat out, flicking his cigarette bud at me, I stepped back so it wouldn't hit me. Carol stood up and began walking up the tiny rock slope towards Ed, I touched her arm, and she glanced at me. "You don't have to go with him." I whispered to her, she gave me the smallest smile, "Please don't, it'll just make it worse." She whispered back at me and Andrea.

"Hey, don't think I won't knock the both of you on your ass, just cause your some rednecks sister, and you're some college educated coose." Ed hissed at Andrea and I, reaching his hand out for Carol. "You come on now, or you're going to regret it later." Ed told Carol, reaching for her again. This is bullshit; no one should be treated this way. I watched my father treat my mom like this.

"Why?" I said, getting in his face slightly, stepping in front of Carol, "So she can show up with fresh bruises again?" I continued, Ed was pissed, and about to blow up. He laughed a sinister laugh and shook his head, "You all don't want to keep prodding the bull now." He said, yanking Carol's arm towards him, Andrea and I tried to step in front of Carol to keep her with us. Everyone started to argue and then Ed slapped Carol in the face. I slammed my hands into Ed's chest shoving him back. He then slammed me back, and before I knew it Shane was intervening, pulling Ed off to the side and slamming him on the ground hard.

Shane immediately began hitting Ed in the face, slamming him again, and again. We all stood there and watched in horror; I clamped my hand over my mouth and stumbled back. He was going to kill him if he didn't stop. "Shane! Stop!" I yelled, moving closer, I tried to pull Shane off of Ed but he wasn't budging. I didn't even realize Bash was in the quarry let alone standing off to the side, he walked over and helped me pull Shane off of Ed, well he pretty much pulled him off I just stood there in front of him, keeping him from going at him again.

Shane was out of breath and in some sort of trance, he shoved past me again and grabbed Ed's face, squeezing it, "You ever put your hands on your wife, your little girl, or anyone else in this camp again, I won't stop, you hear me?" He panted in Ed's face, then got up and stormed back off into camp. Ed's face was covered in blood and he was lying there moaning on the ground. I stood there for a moment, and ran my hands through my hair, out of breath and shaking myself. I stumbled backwards a little, what the hell did I do?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After everything that had happened with Ed I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide there forever. I felt responsible for what happened, if had just kept my mouth shut, none of that would have happened. Keeping my mouth shut wasn't one of my strong suits though. I couldn't just stand there and let him do that to her though. Maybe Bash was onto something, maybe we all are insane for thinking living together could actually work.

It was late in the evening; I was lying in our tent, attempting to fall asleep, and failing to do so. My back was killing me and my mind was racing, I never even said goodbye to Daryl, I'd just stormed off like a child, and let him go. In a world like this you never know if the last time you see someone is going to be the last time you see them ever. I decided to get up and go sit outside by the tiny fire, everyone else was surely asleep so it's not like I'd have to talk to anyone, because at this point I didn't want too.

I got up and slipped my boots on and grabbed a blanket and headed towards the fire, I was right. The camp was vacant, everyone snugly tucked away into their tents for the night. Everyone except Shane, he was perched on top of the RV, keeping watch for walkers. He was snoring so loud you'd think the walkers would be drawn to it.

Hearing a rustling in the tree line, I turned to see Dog standing there in the shadows with his head cocked to the side. I whistled lightly and smacked my leg, motioning for him to come to me. He didn't move, he just stood there and whined, I sat my blanket down and glanced around for Bash, it was his dog after all, even if he didn't like it. Bash was nowhere to be seen, weird I thought. I stepped closer towards Dog and knelt down and clapped my hands lightly, he continued to back away from me into the woods. Damn dog. I moved closer, noticing something caught around his foot. He's hurt.

As I moved closer he took off into the woods, I stopped before I followed him and looked around. I decided to go after him, if only for a few minutes. As I trudged through the woods I pushed past tree limbs and branches, trying not fall. I could hear Dog up ahead of me, but I couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything really. The only light I had was coming from the moon above; it hardly trickled down through the canopy of trees above. I'd walked for maybe ten minutes or so, and I thought I had a good idea of where I was and where the camp was, but when I stopped in a clearing I realized I was wrong.

I stood there for a moment and realized I had gotten turned around somehow. On the plus side Dog had worked his way back towards me, I knelt down and untangled his foot, it was caught in some wire. "Why did you run off, you dope." I whispered, as I stood up. I know running off after a dog in the middle of the night is stupid, but I just couldn't let him go. I don't know why.

I was standing there with Dog in the woods when I heard twigs snapping behind me, I turned around immediately thinking a walker had snuck up on me. I didn't have my knife, I felt for it in my pocket. After a few moments the sound stopped, maybe a deer or something? Dog and I started to head back in the direction of camp, or at least I thought it was the direction camp was in. I was relieved to see the glow of the camp fire in the distance. I heard the twigs snapping and leaves crunching again, so I stopped and looked around again. The sound of the noises got louder as it got closer. I was about to make a run for camp when I felt someone clamp there hand around my mouth pulling me back into the woods further. As I struggled to break free, I attempted to scream, but to no avail. Walkers don't do this, they bite, not drag. This is human.

Once I stopped being dragged backwards I was flung forward onto the ground, my face slamming into the dirt and rocks. I quickly rolled over to see Ed looming over me, "What are you doing?" I cried out, I wasn't actually crying yet, but I was on the brink of it. I got to my feet and stumbled backwards. "Well look who it is. The uppity smart mouth bitch." Ed seethed. He was insane, "I think you owe me an apology." He said, reaching for my waist. I shoved him as hard as I possibly could, knocking him back a little. "Go to hell!" I yelled back at him, turning to run for camp.

I felt Ed grab my arm and slam me face first into a nearby tree, my face scraped against the bark. I could feel Ed shoving his body weight into me, I squirmed until I was able to elbow him in the nose, he groaned and fell back on his ass, I was panicking and it was bringing on an asthma attack, I went to move away from Ed when he grabbed my ankle and twisted it, yanking me on the ground. He held me there, until he situated his body on top of me, I screamed out for help, "Stop! Please stop!"

I could feel Ed's hands grazing my entire body, I continued to squirm and yell, only for Ed to punch me in the face, repeatedly just as Shane had done to him. I was getting tired of fighting him off, on the brink of just giving up. I could taste blood in my mouth and I could hardly breathe. I was losing consciousness when I heard something growling behind Ed, it was a vicious growl. A dog's growl.

I heard Ed holler and then felt him fall off of me; I tried to roll onto my side, I felt the dirt and mud against my face, I opened my eyes, when I did I saw a walker heading right for us, it was moaning and walked with a gimp, letting it's leg drag across the ground. I inched my way away from Ed and hid behind a tree, and tried to stay quiet. Which was near impossible, I was crying and hyperventilating. I heard Ed scream and knew the walker had gotten to him, I could hear it ripping through his flesh. I placed my hands over my ears and closed my eyes, rocking back and forth. I was completely and utterly terrified and in shock.

The horrible noises continued to come from behind the tree until I heard a loud gunshot ring out. I had tucked my knees up into my chest and hid my head on top of them, I felt someone touch my arm and jumped, looking up to see Bash staring back at me. "What the hell happened?" He whispered out, looking around. He reach for my arm again and I pulled away and cried out, he threw his hands up in surrender, "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered calmly, "Can you walk?" He asked, inching closer towards me, he took off his jacket and draped it gently around my shoulders, "I think so." I coughed out, I tried to push myself up, but fell to the ground clutching my rib cage, "Ow!" I cried out, I felt Bash touch my arm again. "Okay, it's okay. I've got you." He said, reassuringly.

"Is he dead?" I asked, shaking terribly. Bash glanced over his shoulder for a moment. "They both are." He answered, "I need to get you out of here before more of them come." He told me, putting my arms through the jacket sleeves and placing my arm around his neck, he gently lifted me off the ground up into his arms. He carried me back to camp, slowly and carefully trying not to make me hurt anymore than I already was. He carried me with ease, as we made our way back into camp I could hear people talking around us, but couldn't make out who was saying what, "What the hell happened?" someone asked, I'm sure it was Shane. "She was attacked by walkers in the woods." Bash said, holding me tighter in his arms. I must have had a concussion because all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep on his shoulder.

Bash carried me into Dales RV and sat me down on the bench that went to the breakfast table and knelt down in front of me on the ground, my eye was swelling shut, and I just wanted to go to sleep. Everyone in camp was rushing in and out of the RV. Bash had gotten up and grabbed a wet rag and was starting to try and get my face cleaned off. I was wheezing terribly and my chest felt tight, all the crying wasn't helping either. "Where's your inhaler?" Bash asked, looking at me, and waiting patiently for me to answer him.

"I'm out." I coughed, trying to calm down. Shane had gotten Lori and Carl, they came rushing in. Bash stood up and stepped to the side to give them room. "What happened to you?" Lori croaked out, pulling me into her arms. Dale had gotten a first aid kit out of the cabinet and was handing Lori gauze and things as she needed them. Shane pulled Bash outside to find out what the hell had happened. I could hear Carol outside crying, he must have told her that Ed was dead. I couldn't talk, or I didn't want to I don't know which. Lori kept hounding me with questions, "Why were you even out there? What were you doing? Why was Ed with you?" She asked, shooting the questions out one right after the other.

"I went after the dog." I said, zoning out on the floor. "He went out into the woods. I followed him, to try and get him to come back with me, when Ed walked up on me." I said, wiping the tears out of my eyes. Carol had come into the RV to see if I was alright. How could I sit here and tell her what her husband had done to me.

"Ed was bringing me back to camp, when the walker came up. I tripped and fell pretty hard. He tried to save me. Then Bash found us." I whispered to them. Bash had walked back into the RV and was leaning against one of the cabinets watching me intently. He wasn't buying the story I was trying desperately to sell.

Carols husband was a dick, but I didn't want her last memory of him to be anymore terrible than it already was. Nor did I want her daughter to know what kind of monster her own father was. Although, I'm assuming she already knew he was a monster.

After all of the fuss over me everyone eventually settled back down for the night. I'd changed back into my sweatshirt and curled into a ball on my side and tried to go to sleep. Only sleep never came, I cried and tried to put what happened out of my mind. If I had just kept my mouth shut none of this would have happened. This was my fault. This was my fault. This was my fault. Those were the four words I kept repeating to myself.

Waking up in the morning hurt like hell. It was already noon. Lori and Carl must have let me sleep in. I stood up slowly; I could feel every ache and pain. My back and ribs hurt from being shoved into the ground. I felt the back of my head, it had scabbed up well. My wrist was sore, and my cheek felt like it had rug burn across it. I saw Lori and Carl sitting by the fire and went and sat next to them. I fidgeted with the strings on my sweatshirt and avoided looking at anyone. Lori offered me food, but I couldn't eat.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" she asked rubbing my back as she sat down next to me. She brushed some hair behind my ear so she could get a better look at my face. "I can't believe you would be so stupid as to go wondering off like that in the middle of the night, over a dog. Your life is more valuable than a dog." She told me, as she cleaned my eye up a little. From the looks of everyone in camp, my face must have looked like a smashed blueberry.

"Lori, I'm fine." I said, as she kept fussing over the scratches on my neck and cheek. I saw Carol and Sophia walk past us, catching her eye. She looked hurt, and relieved all in the same. Sophia on the other hand was a wreck, which meant Carol had told her. I tried pushing Lori's arms away, but she continued to check me over.

"Lori! I'm fine. You're not my mother." I said, harshly as I stood up. Lori looked startled that I'd raised my voice at her. I covered my face with my hands and let them fall. "I'm sorry, I'm fine. I just need to clear my head." I said over my shoulder as I headed for the quarry. I'd found a cluster of rocks and perched myself on top of them. The entire quarry was in view from where I was sitting. The rocks formed walls all the way up through the quarry, encasing the water.

I watched the sun glisten off of the tiny waves as they rippled back and forth. Andrea and Amy were out in the boat, trying to catch some fish. It didn't look like it was going to well. I heard the gravel move behind me and whipped my head around to see Bash. He climbed up the rocks and plopped down beside me. I sat there and stared at him for a moment. He glanced at me and then focused on the water. What did he want?

"I thought you'd want to know that I returned the pistol, minus a bullet or two." He said, reaching down and picking some pebbles up and winging one out into the water. I tucked my knees up into my chest and looked away. I could tell he was looking at me, "That's great." I whispered, unimpressed that he'd returned the gun. "You alright?" He asked, timidly. I'm far from being alright. "Yeah." I replied.

"Which means no. I'm guessing." He retorted back. I tried to pretend he wasn't sitting there. "That story you told last night. That's not what really happened, is it?" He asked after a moment. Well, he didn't really ask as much as he stated it. I closed my eyes, and then reopened them.

"It doesn't matter." I whispered. I don't know why I said that. Why I even said anything at all. "Sure it matters." He said, glancing at me again. "It's not going to change anything, if I say what really happened or not. Someone is still dead, because of me." I said, looking directly at him, he could see the pain and hurt I was going through. He nodded his, as in to say he was letting it go.

Bash launched another pebble into the air, and we watched as it splashed into the water with a thud. "I thought you were leaving?" I asked, glaring at him a little. He flicked another pebble into the water. "I am, just biding my time until that guy Rick gets back. I overheard him and Rambo talking about bringing a bag of weapons back, like guns. I'll snag one of them and then I'll be on my way." He told me, I picked up a rock and decided to throw it too.

I watched as Bash stood up and jumped down off the rocks. "Come on." He said, turning and stepping back to face me. He wants me to come with him? "I'm going to look for food, actual food, not this fish stick crap." He said placing his hands in his pockets. He had tan skin, and really broad shoulders. "And?" I said, lost in this conversation. He smirked and leaned his head back. "Do. You. Want. To. Come. With. Me." He said, slowly drawing each word out. "Why would I come with you? I don't even know you?" I said, hopping down off the rocks, brushing my butt off.

"Well, you could get to know me." He said, as he started walking backwards up the hill. "What's the point, you're leaving." I shot back at him, starting to follow him a little, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked at him.

"Because I figure it beats sitting here, thinking about what happened last night." He said, still walking backwards. I don't know how he hasn't tripped yet, if I was walking backwards that much for that long I would have surely busted my ass by now. If I stay in camp I'll have to face my mom, and Carol and Sophia.

"Okay," I said, walking up beside him, he turned around and stayed in step. "Only because I don't want to be around anyone I actually like." I said, shooting him a look. He chuckled lightly, holding back a small smile.

We walked back into camp to get some supplies and noticed Dale looking at someone through his binoculars. Bash shot me a confused look. I shrugged my shoulders. The guy was digging something; he'd been up there for hours. Just digging.

Dale climbed down the RV ladder and started up the hill to go check on the guy. Bash and I decided to follow him out of curiosity. As we walked up the slope, we could see what the guy was digging. He was digging graves, tons of them, spreading them out over the expanse of the field. "What the fuck is he doing?" Bash whispered, leaning into my ear a little, "No idea." I responded.

"Jim, you okay?" Dale asked him, as he watched him furiously continue to shovel more and more dirt out of the hole. "You keep this up you're going to keel over out here." Dale continued on, the guy Jim was covered in sweat from head to toe. His clothes were soaked and covered in mud. He continued to shovel, slamming the shovel down into the dirt to break it up more. "Drink some water, at least." Dale said, extending his arm out to offer Jim a canteen full of water. He completely ignored him, like he was in some kind of trance.

"Are there any sane people in this camp?" Bash whispered again. I shot him a look and he rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from foot to foot, I felt his shoulder touch mine for a moment as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you always say what pops into that tiny brain of yours?" I whispered back. He chuckled softly, "Pretty much. But something tells me you do too." He retorted, he stared at me for a moment then glanced back at Dale and Jim.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Dale had asked Bash and I to keep an eye on Jim, while he went and got Shane and the others. Something was obviously wrong with Jim, he was acting insane. I stood there with Bash and watched as Jim continued to keep shoveling dirt up out of the hole, flinging it over his shoulder. The air had warmed up considerably from what it was earlier. The back of my neck was covered in sweat, although that could be because I'm walking around with my sweatshirt on like a moron. I decided to take it off and tie it around my waist, pulling my hair into a messy bun as well. The wind blew warm air into my face, slightly rustling the trees hanging over us. Bash was staring at my arms, "What?" I asked, glancing down. My arm was covered in a huge bruise, I didn't even know those colors could form on someone's body.

I lowered my head and avoided looking at Bash, this was weird and uncomfortable. "You didn't deserve that." He whispered, he already knew Ed had attacked me, he must have read between the lines, that and I'm a shitty liar. God, now I'm going to have to explain this to Daryl.

"This is stupid. I'm going hunting. I'm not standing here babysitting some whack job." Bash said, turning and walking away from me. He turned around when he got to the crest of the hill we'd walked up earlier. "Are you coming?" He asked, in an annoyed tone.

"No, I'm going to stay here." I said. After everything that happened last night, I don't think wondering around in the woods with practically a complete stranger is a good idea, regardless of whether he had rescued me or not. "Go ahead." I told him, walking over towards Jim. Bash said nothing and headed back into camp.

As I crept closer towards Jim, I picked up Dales canteen, and tried to offer it to him again. "Jim, are you sure you don't want some water. It's too hot out for you not to drink." I tried to persuade him. He stopped shoveling for a moment, and removed his cap and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and placed his cap back on his head.

"Here," I offered, holding it out to him. He took the canteen and held it up to his mouth, letting some water trickle down his chin. He slowly handed it back to me once he was finished. I stepped back and waited and watched as he kept digging.

A few minutes later Dale and Shane and the rest of the group walked up the slope and stood and watched as Jim again kept digging holes, he was digging more manically now. It seemed like he was completely zoning everyone and everything out around him.

"Hey Jim." Shane said, stepping forward towards him more, and then looking around at the group. "Jim, why don't you hold up here, just give me a second." Shane tried again, Jim stopped at looked at everyone confused. He slammed the butt of the shovel into the ground and held it up with his arm. "What do you want?" He replied.

"I'm just a little concerned here man. That's all." Said Shane, as I took a few steps back and stood next to Amy. She nudged my side with her elbow, sending spikes of pain through my side. I winced slightly, but said nothing. "So what were you and Bash talking about?" She whispered, "I saw you guys talking while we were on the boat." She went on. I loved Amy to death, but sometimes I wish she would just be quiet. Not talk, like all the time. "We weren't talking." I replied. "He was talking, I was ignoring." I told her. "Why he's hot as hell." Amy whispered again, "Yeah, well he's irritating." I shot back at her.

"Dale said you've been out here for hours." A man standing behind Shane said concerned. "So?" Jim replied, still confused about what the big deal was. "Then why are you digging? You heading to China or something?" Shane joked, he chuckled and I rolled my eyes. He wasn't funny, even though he swore he was. "What does it matter, I'm not hurting anyone." Jim laughed out, as he started to dig again.

"Yeah except maybe yourself, it's a hundred some degrees today." Dale pleaded with him. He was clearly concerned and worried about Jim's wellbeing, we all were. "You can't keep this up." Dale said, moving closer. Jim flung dirt into the air again and slammed the shovel head into the ground a few times, loosening the dirt.

"Sure I can, watch me." He retorted, his voice was kind, it's almost like he had no idea what he was doing, like he did, but then he didn't. I felt Lori touch my shoulder as she stepped in front of me and Dale. "Jim, they aren't going to say it, so I will, you're scaring people. You're scaring my son, and Carol's daughter." She told him flat out.

Jim stopped digging and looked at her, "They ain't got nothing to be scared of." He replied, exasperated. Lori shook her head and shrugged her shoulder's, that wasn't the response she was looking for, I guess. "I'm out here by myself, I ain't bothering anyone. Why don't you just go back to camp, and leave me the hell alone." Jim said, agitation was evident in his voice.

I was about to tell him to try and take a break, maybe come back up here in the evening when the air is a bit cooler when Shane moved in on Jim. "We think you need to take a break, why don't you go get yourself some water, and get cleaned up, get some food. I'll tell you what maybe in a little bit I'll come out here and help you… myself." Shane tried to convince him.

"Jim, you need to stop." Shane said, almost reaching for the shovel. Jim stepped back, getting offensive. He held his grip tight on the shovel. "Or what?" He half threatened Shane. Shane glanced at the group and rubbed his chin. "There is no or what. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you to stop. I don't want to have to take it from you." He said, shaking his head. He was trying to reason with him. I wouldn't want to do anything Shane says either, so I don't blame Jim for arguing.

"If I don't then what?" Jim asked Shane, leaning onto the shovel. "Then you're going to beat my face in like Ed, aren't you?"

Oh god, I don't like where this is heading. Shane is bullheaded and hot tempered two things that aren't a good combination. "You all saw his face, before the walkers got him that is. That's what happens when someone crosses you, huh?" Jim taunted Shane. I could tell it was taking everything in Shane to remain calm. "That was different Jim." Shane whispered. I stepped forward, "That was different, Ed was out of control, you weren't there. He was hurting his wife." I said, trying to take up for Shane a little bit.

"That is there marriage!" Jim yelled, "Not his!" he said pointing his finger accusingly at Shane. "He is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss?" Jim spat the words out at Shane. "Jim, I'm going to need you to put the shovel down." Shane ordered. Shane reach for the shovel, causing Jim to back away, Shane proceeded to close in on Jim, still reaching his hand forward. Jim swung the shovel in the air trying to hit Shane in the face with it.

After he swung the shovel Shane grabbed him by the arm and tried to pin him on the ground. Shane was wrestling with Jim trying to make him stop. He eventually got Jim on his stomach and was straddling his body, placing him in cuffs.

"No one wants to hurt you." Shane grunted out. Out of breathe. "That's the biggest lie ever told. That's what I told my wife, and two sons." Jim cried out. This was heartbreaking to watch. "It didn't matter what I said, they came out of nowhere, dozens of them, ripped them right out of my hands."

I covered my hand over my mouth, I felt the tears coming, but I tried to hold them back. His family was literally ripped away from him. He couldn't do anything, to protect them, to keep them alive. That had to have been hell, to stand there and watch that happen.

"Only reason I got away, was because the dead were eating my family." Jim whispered, looking at me. I looked at the ground, not able to look at him. Shane got to his feet and pulled Jim to his, he patted his shoulder and we all led him back down into camp. Shane decided to secure Jim to a tree for his own safety and ours. I was sitting down a few feet away helping Carl and Sophia work on some school stuff Lori had made up for them. Shane had brought some water over to Jim and was helping him get a drink.

"I don't understand this." Carl complained, I smiled a little and looked down at the problem he was working on. I think it's sort of pointless in some ways to make him keep working on this stuff, I mean it's highly doubt full that he'll need to know an algebraic equation when he comes across a walker, right?

"What you do to one side you have to do to the other, try again." I ushered him, handing him his pencil back. "Sorry if I scared you Carl and your daughter Carol." Jim said sitting against the tree. Carol was sitting next to me helping Sophia work on her own work. It felt awkward and uncomfortable to be around them. All I wanted to do was hide under a rock.

"It's alright, you had sun stroke. No one's blaming you." I replied, giving him a half-hearted smile. I'm surprised more of us haven't snapped. "You aren't afraid of me now are you?" Jim asked, leaning his head back against the tree he was tied too. Carl and Sophia both shook their heads no. I patted Carl's back lightly and squished a spider crawling near my foot on the ground. I could overhear Dale and Shane talking to Jim. They wanted to know if he remembered why he was digging all the graves. But, he couldn't remember why. All he knew was he dreamt it, last night. We were all in it. He said that Carl was worried about his dad.

"Are you worried about your dad?" Jim asked him as Lori walked up and sat down on the other side of Carl. Of course he was worried about him. He's been without him for so long, and just when he thought he was back safe and sound he decides to run off and rescue Merle, of all people. I mean come on. I get why he went though, he couldn't just leave him there to die. "We don't really need to talk about that right now." Lori said, giving Jim a look. Ricks a police officer, he probably just ran across someone that needed help, like Bash. At least that's what I keep telling myself. My brother is with them.

I patted Carl's back and decided to go take a shower. I needed one desperately. I messed up the top of Carl's hair as I got up, causing him to fuss. As I was making my way towards our tent I saw Bash coming out of the woods, carrying a tiny rabbit. He stopped a few feet away from me, "You killed Thumper?" I said, shooting him a look. He smirked, "Yeah, I'm eating him too." He said, sitting down a ways away from everyone else on a log. He laid the rabbit down on the ground and pulled out a pocket knife, I watched as he started to skin the rabbit. I climbed inside the tent, and grabbed a change of clothes before I vomited watching him do that. It was disgusting.

Dale had rigged a way so the shower worked slightly, as long as you filled the tub of water on the outside of the RV. It would run it through the shower in the RV. I don't know how he concocted the plan or made this work, but I was happy we were able to take a little shower now and then. I took a quick shower, washing all of the mud and dirt off of me from the night before. As I was getting dressed again I examined all of the bruises on my body. I tried to push what happened out of my head. Ed hadn't raped me, I mean he was going to, but luckily the walker stumbled along and startled him.

I still felt ashamed though. Like I'd brought what happened on by trying to take up for Carol at the quarry. I pulled on another pair of ripped up jeans, and a black tank top, and red and black plaid button up, I pulled my hair into a messy bun and headed back towards our tent. Bash was roasting his rabbit over a small fire he'd started. We already had a small one going; he could have just as easily walked over and used ours.

The sun was setting for the night, the sky was a beautiful mixture of orange and pink fading to black; I glanced over at everyone surrounding our fire. They were starting to cook dinner. Andrea and Amy had caught a decent amount of fish earlier; they were frying it up in a pan. I still didn't really have an appetite. I decided to sneak off to my special spot. I just needed to clear my head, away from everyone else. Bash caught my eye as I headed down the hill, he won't rat me out.

Once I made it to the top of the hill, I crouched down on my knees and looked out over the city. "Come on Daryl," I whispered, thinking in some weird way that if I said it aloud he'd hear me. I don't know how things are going to turn out, and that scares the hell out of me. A few weeks ago I was a normal seventeen year old girl, I went to high school, I got good grades, I worried what college I would go to. If I would go to college, because let's be honest, we couldn't afford it.

Now, none of that matters. Now, I worry constantly, what we're going to eat? Where are we going to live when this place gets overrun like the last? How long can we survive like this, living from day to day? I took a deep breath and stood up. As I turned to head back to camp I stopped and looked out over the city again. "Come on." I whispered again.

I'd made my way back into camp, thankfully no one but Bash knew I had wondered off again. Bash was roasting his rabbit over the fire he'd built; he glanced at me as I walked up. I sat down next him on the log; I noticed he was drinking from a flask. "Want some?" He asked, extending his arm out towards me.

"No thanks. I'm good." I said, holding my side, it was still really sore. Bash smirked and took another swig of whatever he was drinking. He sort of laughed as he nudged a rock into the fire with his foot.

"What?" I asked, he was obviously laughing at me for some reason. "Nothing, I knew you wouldn't drink it." He said, looking at the ground. He was drunk, or on the verge of being drunk. I grabbed the flask out of his hand and held it up to my nose and smelled it before taking a few gulps of it. I coughed as I handed it back to him, "It's whiskey." he laughed out taking it back from me. "It's disgusting." I replied.

The night air as cold, and the wind was adding a chill to the air, I held my arms against my chest and shivered slightly, Bash saw me and grabbed his jacket off the ground and handed it to me, "I'm fine." I said, pushing it away. He rolled his eyes, "It's a damn jacket, not a marriage proposal." He said, before standing up and checking the rabbit over the fire. "I have to piss." He said, as he walked off into the woods. Quite the over sharer, I didn't need to know that. The wind blew again and I put Bash's jacket on, as I placed my hands in the pockets only to feel something in the one, I pulled out a crumpled up picture.

It was a picture of Bash, and what looked like his parents, and two younger brothers. They looked happy, I never even noticed Bash come walking back up, until I felt him snatch the picture out of my hand and then he tossed it into the fire. "Why did you do that?" I asked him, looking at him. He was lighting a cigarette, "They don't matter anymore." He said sitting down beside me again, he was careful to blow the smoke away from me.

"Your family." I whispered, he took another drag off of the cigarette. "How did they…" I asked, feeling completely stupid. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's a problem I have, I open my mouth when I shouldn't. That and I ramble on when I'm nervous." I said, getting ready to get up and leave him alone. He touched my arm, "I didn't say you did anything wrong." He shot at me, "You don't have to go."

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked, taking another drag off his cigarette. I scoffed, and looked into the fire. "Don't flatter yourself." I said, sitting back down, now it just felt awkward to be around him.

He pulled the flask out again. "I'll tell you what. We can play a game, every shot I take you tell me something about you. Every shot you take I'll tell you something about me." He said, turning to face me on the log, he handed me the flask. "You first." He said, smirking. I closed my eyes and took a drink; Daryl's going to kill me for drinking, even though he does it all the time.

"That's disgusting," I coughed out, trying to be quiet, I'm sure if Lori saw us she'd come barging over here acting all motherly. I mean I liked that she thought of me as a daughter, but I'm not her daughter. Bash laughed and slid down on the ground, resting his back against the log, I did the same and handed him the flask back. "So what's your full name?" I asked, playing it safe, it's not like he's going to give me all the gory details about his life anyway.

"Wow, you went straight for the hard questions, huh?" He said, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. He glared at the ground, and started picking apart blades of grass. "Sabastian Blake Edwards." He told me, taking a shot. "Now it's my turn."

I rolled my eyes and waited for him to ask me a question, he sat quietly for a few moments, then turned to face me a little better, "What's your full name?" He asked, causing me to chuckle. "It took you that long to come up with that question?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and smirked, I shook my head, "Riley Ariana Dixon." I replied, he smirked and handed me the flask again, I took a deep breath and took the shot like a champ. "If your such a lone wolf, how'd you end up with Rick?" I asked him. He chuckled, "Lone wolf?"

"Well, yeah you seem to like being by yourself that's all." I said, glancing at him. Where the hell is Daryl with Merle? The booze wasn't helping my mind calm down, if anything it was making my head spin more.

"It's easier being alone, but I was sort of holed up in the police station, I'd ran out of food and supplies so I figured I'd raid the station, I mean most people are too afraid to do something like that. I figured there might be some supplies left there." He told me, I can't believe he remembered me from high school; it's actually sort of creepy. I was only in school for a few months after my "accident," then I got pulled out. "So, I just kind of stayed there, until Rick barged in and fucked it all up." He continued, "He made me come with him, I didn't really have a choice." He scoffed, looking at me.

"That was smart to stay there." I said, looking at the fire, the drinks were making my head feel fuzzy and I thought I saw something moving in the woods across from us, blinking a few times, and looking again I saw nothing. Weird I thought. I shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, certainly not with whiskey, Daryl turned into a raging asshole when he drank this.

"Do you think things will ever be normal again?" I asked, turning towards Bash.

"Were they ever really normal to begin with?" He replied.

"Well I guess games over," He said, flipping the flask upside down and watching the last couple drops of alcohol drip out. I laughed a little, and looked over at everyone else sitting by the fire near the RV. I saw Amy get up and head into the RV, "How'd you get the scar?" Bash said, picking at the ground again. "I got it from my dad." I whispered, glaring at him, "He got piss drunk one night, and decided that he wanted to beat one of his kids around. I'd gotten home late, and walked in to find him plastered, and going off on Merle, well Merle walked out and he turned to me." I said, biting my lip. It's been so long since I thought about that night.

"He was beating on me and I don't really remember what happened… One minute he was hitting me then the next he had me in a choke hold screaming at Daryl. I guess he'd walked in on it all, he tried to get my dad to focus on him instead of me and it worked, except he cut my neck in the process of shoving me away." I said, nodding my head remembering it all. I looked over at Bash to see a pained expression across his face, he probably wished he never asked.

"That's pretty messed up." He whispered, I heard Amy come out of the RV and ask something, and saw a shadowy figure moving around the RV, I blinked a few times before I realized what it was. It was a walker! I grabbed Bash's arm, he looked up and we both jumped up, "Amy! Look!" I screamed, but it was too late, the walker had already bit her arm. Everyone in camp began to scream and panic, more and more walkers were moving out of the tree line into our camp. Where the hell are they coming from?

Bash grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him as we ran up the slope towards the RV, as we were running I felt something grab my arm, I spun to see a walker coming at me, letting out a terrified scream I fell backwards into Bash's arms, he was about to knife the walker when we heard a gunshot and saw the walker fall to the ground.

Shane had managed to get to his gun. "Lori get him down now!" He yelled, wanting Carl out of the way. He continued to fire off more and more rounds, taking walkers down one at a time. Bash grabbed my hand again and pulled me along until we were behind Shane; I stopped to catch my breath leaning into Bash's side coughing. This whole having asthma thing sucked.

We could hear someone else shooting a gun in the distance, the shots became louder as they got closer. Peering around Shane I could see Rick and Daryl and the others clearing a path to get towards us, Carl broke out of Lori's grasp and ran to his father, "Dad!"

"Carl!" Ricked yelled, swooping him up in his arms, I was practically in tears staring at the destroyed camp lying before us, dead walkers were sprawled out everywhere, along with half the camp that had been killed. I stood there staring at Amy's quivering body on the ground. Daryl rushed over and pulled me into a small hug, I wrapped one arm around him, while the other was still holding Bash's hand. "Merle?" I asked, as we broke apart. Daryl nodded his head no.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As we stood circled around Andrea and Amy and every other dead person in camp, I cried leaning into Daryl. I cried for my brother Merle, for Amy, for all of the lives that had just been taken. This was all a lot to handle, especially for a seventeen year old girl. Daryl let go of me and stepped forward, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. Bash and I were still holding hands a little. Which I thought was weird and comforting all in the same. Daryl looked down at our hands intertwined with each other and shoved past Bash and I breaking apart our hands. I wiped my nose with the back of Bash's jacket sleeve, and turned to run after Daryl. I'll wash it before I give it back to him.

"You okay?" I asked, as I caught up to him, he was walking down the gravel road leading out of camp.

"Daryl!" I half yelled again, trying to get his attention. I stopped walking, and stood in the middle of the road sobbing. I heard my brother stop walking, when I opened my eyes I could see his figure standing in the road, he was hunched over with his hands on his knees, crying no doubt. Slowly, I inched my way closer, letting my feet drag in the gravel.

"What happened? What did you find?" I asked, obviously they hadn't found Merle, because he wasn't here. But they had to have found something, right? Some sign of what happened to him, like his blood or his ripped up body. Daryl whipped around to face me.

"You want to know what I found." Daryl hissed at me, "I found our brothers hand lying up on that roof. They chained him up like a fucking dog and left him there!" He yelled, holding back tears. "He cut his hand off?" I said, letting my jaw drop to the ground. How? Why?

"Why would he do that?" I asked, I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach from the alcohol. "You know Merle; he does what he has to. You should have come and gotten me, so we could have gone after his ass sooner!" He yelled at me.

Is he really standing here saying this was my fault? "Are you kidding me?" I yelled back at him furiously, "I did come looking for you; I couldn't find you, just like always! How was I supposed to know where the hell you were? This is not my fault, this is Merle's fault!" I shrieked at him getting into his face shoving him back, he stumbled backwards a little. Daryl stood there looking at me for a moment, watching me cry my eyes out.

"What the hell happened to your face?" He asked, reaching out to touch my chin, to examine my busted lip. I pulled away from him, trying to figure out what to tell him, "Who did this to you? Was it that new kid?" He asked, getting more amped up. "No, he didn't do anything to me. I was screwing around in the woods and I fell down a hill." I spat back at him. "I'm fine!" I said sternly, me falling down a hill was believable, I have no coordination whatsoever.

I wasn't going to stand here and let him accuse me of something I didn't have any control over; this for once wasn't my fault, was it? I ran back into camp, and headed straight for our tent, carefully avoiding looking at the dead bodies lying scattered about.

Daryl came into the tent a little while later, I sat up when he did. My head was killing me; I was on the verge of puking my guts out. I sat up and tucked my knees under my chin. Daryl fell down beside me, with a sigh. My stomach was turning and I knew I was going to hurl, I got up and walked out of the tent, stepping into the bushes, I got down on my knees and let it all out, Bash must have seen me because he walked over and crouched down beside me, "You alright?" He asked, calmly. "I think so." I finally replied when I thought I was done, I wiped the back of my mouth with my sleeve. "I ruined your jacket." I whispered, I felt him touch my shoulder, "Don't worry about it."

Bash proceeded to help me up off the ground, I was dizzy and my feet were unsteady, I thought I was done throwing up, but my stomach had other plans, I turned away from Bash and hunched over. He kept his hand on my upper back and pulled my hair to the side, I heard Daryl come out of our tent and make his way over. "What the hell are you doing?" He hissed, obviously thinking Bash was hurting me. "Shut up, Daryl." I said between heaves.

"She's sick." Bash said, still helping me. I finally stood up straight and turned to face Daryl, "Have you been drinking?" He asked me, I'm sure he could smell the liquor on my breathe, "No!" I lied; he half laughed and shook his head. "Where'd you get the booze from?" He snapped, I glanced at Bash as he glanced at me. "What did you think you could get her drunk and have your way with her?" He yelled at Bash.

Bash laughed and smirked, "If I wanted her, I could have had her easily. But I didn't, she wanted to drink so I let her." He retorted back, attempting to walk past Daryl; he shoved into Daryl's shoulder as he went by. Daryl grabbed his forearm forcing him to stop and look at him. They were eye to eye, this is wrong. "Daryl!" I shoved him lightly. They were getting ready to get into it with each other. This wasn't over me drinking this was over Merle, when Daryl is upset he lashes out, at anyone standing in his path.

"You best keep your distance." Daryl hissed at Bash, he released his arm and I stood there and watched as Bash debated knocking him on his ass. He glanced at me, and I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders slightly, I was at a loss for words. Bash kept his eyes on me for a moment before he walked off. "You're a jackass." I told Daryl as I went to lie back down. I curled into a ball and cried myself to sleep again. I never heard Daryl come to bed either, and frankly I was glad

I woke up the next morning to the sound of something smacking into something else, and the smell of a burning fire. I lied still on my back and stared at the ceiling of the tent. I felt like I had an elephant standing on my forehead and my chest hurt. Although I knew that wasn't from the whiskey, it was from everything that had happened last night. I was hoping that it was all just a dream, just a terrible, horrible dream that I'd wake up from. I woke up, it just wasn't a dream.

I got up and stumbled out of the tent, shielding my eyes from the sun, I looked around at our shattered camp. I stood still for a minute and tried to regain my barring's, I pulled my hair into a quick fish tail braid and walked over towards Bash, he was lying on a log. I thought he was asleep until he opened his eyes; he sat up and got to his feet. "I owe you a huge apology." I told him, he held his hand up, "You don't." He said, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, and lighting one.

"Daryl was just, upset." I said, looking at the others. Andrea was still kneeling beside Amy's dead body. She stayed there all night, and still hasn't moved. Lori was sitting next to her, probably trying to get her to let her go. Daryl was going around making sure all of the walkers were "dead," by stabbing them in the brain. The others were then piling all of the bodies up to be burned. Bash and I started walking up the small slope towards the center of camp.

"Like I said, you don't owe me an apology. Screw him." He said, blowing smoke out through his nostrils, I never understood why people smoked. I nodded my head and walked ahead of him and stopped near the fire pit, "She hasn't moved all night. What do we do?" Lori asked, looking over at Rick, Dale, Shane and I. "We can't just leave Amy like that." Shane stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "We need to deal with it, same as the others." He continued on, meaning jam a stake or knife through her brain and burn her body. Rick nodded his head and stepped forward, "All tell her how it is." He whispered, making his way over towards Andrea.

Rick was about to kneel down beside Andrea when she turned her head and pulled her gun on him, she took the safety off and kept it aimed at Rick. "Damn." Bash whispered from behind me, I turned and shot him a look, telling him to shut the hell up. He made a face and went back to picking apart the bud of his cigarette. Rick put his hands up in surrender and eased himself backwards away from Amy and Andrea.

"Ya'll can't be serious, letting this girl hamstring us." Daryl said, as he joined the group surrounding the fire pit. He had an axe or pick or something slung over his shoulder. "That dead girl is a time bomb." He said, pointing towards Amy's body. "Well what would you suggest we do?" Rick asked, leaning in. Daryl shook his head and stepped forward. "Take the shot, clean to the head, from right here." He hissed out, as if it was the obvious solution. "Hell I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

"No," I said, shifting my weight from foot to foot, "For god sakes, let her be." I whispered out. Now everyone in the group was turning to look at me, I threw my hands in the air and let them fall to my sides. This just irritated Daryl, so he stormed over to continue with the cleanup. I walked over towards Glenn and started to help him roll some of the dead walkers into the fires he'd created. Bash followed behind me and helped as well.

"Whoa, wait. What are you guys doing?" Glenn said, looking up and over towards my brother and another guy dragging a human body towards one of the fires. "This is for geeks," I said, causing Daryl to roll his eyes and continue dragging the dead body. "Our people go over there!" Glenn said, pointing. "What's the damn difference they're all infected." Daryl snapped back. "Our people go over there. We don't burn them, we bury them!" Glenn yelled back at Daryl, fighting back tears. "Understand our people go over there." Glenn repeated, forcing Daryl to stop and take into account how other people feel for a moment. He said nothing and began to move the body were Glenn instructed.

"Guess we know why crazy ass over there dug all the holes now." Bash whispered in my ear, kicking a limb into the blazing fire. I think it was an arm or something, "What is he like a seer or something, he can predict the future?" He went on, jokingly. I stopped and wiped my forehead with the back of my arm, and placed my hands on my hips, "Bash?" I said, getting his attention. He looked at me while he tossed another limb into the fire, "Stop talking." I ordered, rolling my eyes at him.

"You reap what you sow," I heard Daryl say; "You left our brother for dead. You all had this coming," He ranted, walking off. Bash and I continued to help Glenn burn the remaining bodies, between the heat from the fire and the heat from the sun, I was soaked in sweat. All day I had been fighting off the urge to burst into tears. I was standing near the fire, taking a break, leaning down with my hands on my knees when I heard an argument taking place in front of me, I looked up to see Jim arguing with some lady, she thought he'd been bitten. "A walker got him, a walker bit Jim!" she yelled after a moment.

Everyone rushed over towards Jim and surrounded him, including Bash and I. "Show it to us!" Daryl demanded moving in closer towards Jim, which caused Jim to panic and pick up a shovel off the ground to use for protection. He swung the shovel around, forcing us all to back off a few feet. "Put it down!" Shane yelled, now everyone was panicking. T-Dog circled back around behind Jim and grabbed him, pinning his arms back forcing him to drop the shovel. Daryl ran over and lifted Jim's shirt up slightly, exposing a very fresh walker bite.

It was bloody and oozing puss, he'd been bit for a few hours. There's no telling how long it will take for the change to start to take effect now. We were all shocked and unsure of what to do now. I mean the logical thing would be to kill him; he's probably going to die anyway. But who's going to be able to live with themselves after doing something like that, it's different when you're taking down a walker, they're already dead.

Rick decided to handcuff Jim to the back of the RV until they could figure out what to do with him. We were huddled in a circle, on the other side of camp. "Someone needs to just go put a pick axe in his skull and the dead girl and be done with it." Daryl spat out, all riled up and ready to fight. "Is that what you would want if it were you, you would want me to kill you?" I asked him, getting fed up with all of his brilliant ideas. I looked at him, "Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it." He answered, I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, unable to look at him. He belonged in a world like this, because sometimes I wondered if my brother had a heart at all.

"I hate to say it, and I never thought I'd be the one to say it, but maybe Daryl's right." Dale said, looking from person to person in the group. "He's not a monster Dale, or some sick rabid dog. He's a sick man, if we start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick asked, as everyone began to bicker and talk over one another. "Policy's pretty clear, no walkers." Daryl spewed out, Rick held his hand up, "What if we can get him some help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick said, confidently. Yeah right, and I'm Taylor Swift. There is no cure for this.

"I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane laughed out. "What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick asked, talking to Shane. "That's a stretch right there." Shane answered shaking his head. "Why? If there's any government left they'd protect the CDC at all costs. Wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot." He said, trying to persuade everyone to at least think about this idea. "Shelter, protection, food." Ricked kept going on, "I want those things too," Shane said, cutting him off, "If we want those things, if there's any government left at all it would be at Fort Benning." He said looking around the group.

"Fort Benning is a hundred miles in the opposite direction," Lori said, looking directly at Shane. "We'd be safe there." He told only her, well he said it to the group, but he was talking about them. Must suck having your girlfriends supposedly dead husband come back to life. "The CDC is our best bet." Rick continued to argue with Shane. This was all going nowhere.

"Enough of this bullshit," Daryl whispered turning and heading for Jim behind the RV, I ran after. "Someone needs to have the balls to do what needs to be done!" He hollered over his shoulder as he held the pick axe into the air, ready to strike Jim in the head with it. "Daryl!" I screamed, grabbing his shoulder. Rick ran over and held a gun to Daryl's head, forcing him to freeze in motion, I stepped back, "We don't kill the living." Rick hissed, taking the safety off, just in case my brother decided to act like a dipshit.

Daryl lowered the axe, glancing at my scared expression. "That's funny coming from someone who just held a gun to my head." Daryl said, as Shane stood behind him, Rick lowered his weapon slightly, "We may not agree on everything, but we do on this. You go on and put the axe down." Shane ordered, I threw my head back and placed my hands on my hips and stared at him, "Put it down, now." I demanded. It was like I was parenting Daryl half the time instead of him parenting me. He thought for a moment then rammed the axe into the ground and walked off.

I ran down the hill after Daryl, grabbing his arm to make him stop walking, "What is your problem?" I yelled at him, he laughed, "My problem?" he said, raising his eyebrows and pointing towards himself. "We never should have stopped and stayed with these people; we shoulda did what we planned to do and went on our way down the road." He hissed, getting in my face. "Yeah, because stealing and deceiving people really got us that far, Daryl. We can't be like that; we have to have some kind of morals to live by, even if the world has gone to shit. I don't want to be like that, I still want to have a life!" I shrieked at him, getting pissed off.

"You and Merle have decided everything, since before I can remember. The one time I say I want to stay somewhere, things go wrong and it's all my fault." I yelled at him, "What do you want to do, go to the CDC?" Daryl said, surrendering, a little. "I don't know. Okay, I don't. All I do know is I don't want to go back to the way we were living." I said, as tears streamed down my face. In that moment we heard a gunshot ring out in the air, we both turned and ran back towards camp, only to see that Andrea had shot Amy…

We were standing up on the bank near camp where Jim had dug all of his graves, all lined up. Watching as Andrea buried her sister; we all cried and held onto one another. Amy was my friend; probably one of the nicest girls that I'd ever been friends with. It was heartbreaking to stand there and watch them lay her in the grave and begin to cover her body with dirt. Everyone paid there respect's and went back down into camp; I hung back and waited for a while. I needed to find a way to say goodbye.

As tears streamed down my face I decided to make a small cross out of sticks and stick in the ground above her grave, then I picked a few wildflowers over in the woods nearby. I was picking them, when I heard twigs snap in the tree line, I whipped around to see Bash. I ignored him and continued picking flowers. He picked a few and handed them to me, "Where were you?" I asked, harshly.

"Went to clear my head if that's alright with you?" He snapped back, I cleared my throat. "You know you could have come, shown a little respect." I whispered, he laughed and touched my arm, "Respect for what? I don't know you people. It's not my problem." He said, staring back at me. I walked over towards Amy's grave and knelt down, arranging the flowers near the top. Bash followed me; he was standing behind me, casting a shadow over me. I thought he was going to say something, instead he just walked off.

As I stood up, I wiped my eyes. "Bye Amy." I whispered, holding back more tears. The walk back into camp was slow and quiet, until I came across Shane standing in the woods, he had his gun aimed at something in front of him, his finger on the trigger. As I stepped closer, I saw it was Rick up ahead. I snapped a twig, startling Shane. He looked at me, out of breathe. "What are you doing?" I whispered, Shane smiled and tried to blow it all off. "Thought it was a walker up ahead," he replied, lowering his gun. To me it looked like he was about to shoot Rick. "We need to start wearing reflective gear out here." He teased, "Come on let's get back to camp." He ordered. That was creepy.

When I arrived everyone was gathered around the fire, I sidled up next Carl and sat down on the ground. "Listen everyone, I've been thinking more about Rick's plan, and there are no guarantees, I'll be the first to admit that. But I've known this man a long time, I trust his instincts. The most important thing we need to do is stay together. Those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning." Shane said to the group.

Later that night I was building a pillow wall between Daryl and I in our tent, he was already lying down for the night. "So what are we doing?" I asked, he turned his head towards me, "Staying or going?" I asked again, Daryl groaned as he sat up. "Look, I don't like these people, but you're my little sister, my responsibility, and if staying with these people means keeping you safe and happy, then that's what we will do." He said, I was picking at one of the lose strings on my jeans. "Happy?" he said, throwing a pillow at my face. I threw it back, "Is it the right thing to do?" I asked, lying down now myself. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?" He answered. I guess so…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**Riley's Point of View**

I awoke in the morning drenched in sweat; the fading summer air was still holding its own. I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes slowly. I hadn't slept much last night, pretty much just tossed and turned all night long and thought about Merle. If he cut his hand off, he's got to be dead by now, right? There's no way of knowing where he is, but what if he manages to find his way back here, if he is still alive and we are gone? All of my thoughts flooded my head at once.

Slowly, I got up and pulled on a pair of ripped up shorts, I decided to just re-wear my Harley Davidson t-shirt. It was semi clean, and didn't smell, too bad. I slipped my boots on and headed outside.

Daryl was heading in my direction, "You're finally up." He said, as he stopped a few feet in front of me. As I looked around I noticed that everything in camp was pretty much packed up into the cars that were lined up on the road heading out of camp. "Yeah, still feel half asleep though." I replied, stifling a yawn.

"What if Merle is alive?" I asked, causing him to stop taking our tent apart and look at me.

"He ain't alive, Riles." Daryl replied, his eyes filling with sorrow. "The walkers, they've probably already…" He spoke, but let his words fall short. I wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks and helped Daryl finish packing up our tent and hauled a few bags we had over towards his truck.

As I lifted one of the bags up, I felt a sharp pain in my rib cage. It was still sore from where Ed had slammed me into the grabbed two nights ago. I dropped the bag and clutched my side, trying to breathe through it and hoped no one noticed me.

Bash had managed to work his way over towards me and picked the bag up and slung it into the bed of the truck, carefully trying to avoid hitting Daryl's motorcycle, "I got it." I protested, he rolled his eyes and took a step back, looking at the gravel.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm going to head out now." He told me, as our eyes met. I don't know why, but I felt a twinge of pain that he was leaving. I hardly knew him, and he was an ass when he first got here, but he'd helped me too. Maybe it was the fact that he was my age and he understood how painful all of this was, or the act that he'd known me before the world ended. I don't know which.

"W…Where are you going?" I stuttered the words as they came out making me feel like a moron. I avoided making eye contact with him again.

"I don't just yet. I'll figure it out as I go I suppose. Like always," He chuckled, as Dog came running towards us, I smiled and bent down to rub behind his ears.

"You can come with us." I finally whispered, looking up at his towering body leaning over me. He knelt down next me and petted Dog.

"Nah, like you said, I prefer to be a lone wolf." He smirked, as our hands brushed against each other lightly while we continued to pet Dog. I grinned shyly, "Why don't you keep him?" Bash insinuated, nodding his head towards the hairy German Shepard sitting before us. I've never had a dog, it was enough work to just keep ourselves alive before all of this happened. I always wanted one though.

"Seriously? You don't want him, he'll keep you company and protect you like he protected me." I said, kissing the top of the dog's snout, only to be licked to death. I laughed lightly, but it was hollow. There was no emotion behind it whatsoever. Bash shook his head no, as we both stood back up. "He's all yours, Riley." He said, giving the dog one final pet.

"Stay safe." Bash said, fixing the bag on his shoulder. Before turning to walk away from me, "Wait." I said walking towards him. He stopped and looked at me over his shoulder, "Thank you for what you did for me the other night with Ed and for talking to me, getting my mind off of it." I blurted out, regretting it immediately. Bash patted his wild hair down on top of his head, and nodded.

"Why didn't you ever talk to me when we were in school?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me again.

Bash laughed, "I did talk to you, once. I was late for basketball practice and running through the halls to get to the gym, and you just appeared out of nowhere. I smacked right into you." He grinned; I closed my eyes for a moment remembering it.

"You mumbled something about me being an ass, as I left you on the ground and headed to practice." He held back a smirk, as he stared at me. It felt like such a long time ago since that had happened. High school was nothing I wanted to remember, but yet I remember him. When he first arrived in camp, he seemed oddly familiar in a way. That's why, I guess.

"I don't think that constitutes as a conversation, but okay." I replied, pulling my hair into a bun.

The others finished loading up the remainder of their things in the cars, and waited to hear Rick and Shane's instructions. Daryl slammed the bed of the truck shut, startling me. I shot him a look as he pushed past Bash and I. "Listen up," Shane said, getting everyone's attention.

"Those of us on CBC's will be on channel forty, let's try and keep the chatter down, alright? You got a problem, can't get a signal, anything at all. You're going to hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" He said, looking at everyone in the group.

None of us know for sure what's down the road, if the CDC is even still functioning. That scares the hell out of me, not knowing. My brothers have and I have lived like that most of our lives. Not knowing where we were going or what we would do next. What are we getting ourselves into? If we get there and it's nothing but rubble, we're screwed.

"We aren't coming." Morales said, pulling his wife and two small children into him. The entire group looked at him, fearing for their family. "We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." His wife spoke, looking at us all expectantly. We need to stay together… It's the only way we will survive this.

"You go on your own; you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane said, stepping forward and looking at them skeptically.

"I have to do what's best for my family, we've talked it over. This is what we want." Morales said.

"Alright then." Rick whispered, kneeling down beside Shane and rifling through the bag of weapons they'd recovered on their rescue mission into the city. Some rescue mission, I thought. I thought entailed actually bringing someone back.

".357?" Rick asked Shane, as he pulled a small sized hand gun out of the bag and handed it to Morales, to protect his family with. "The box is half full." Shane said, handing him a small box of ammunition. Daryl scoffed and got in his truck.

I felt my eyes start to well up again and hugged them goodbye. I'd miss there two kids. Lori hugged everyone leaving Carl crying on the hood of the Jeep he was setting on. I sniffled and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug.

"It's okay, buddy." I said, as he sobbed. He hopped down off the hood and latched his arms around my waist. I rubbed his shoulder and looked around, Bash was gone already. I glanced around at the mountainous landscape before us and said a silent prayer for the Gonzales family, even though I am nowhere near being religious by any means. What's the harm though?

"Come on, whoever's riding with me better get in." Daryl hollered out the window of the truck. I rolled my eyes, we couldn't even have a moment to say goodbye, could we? "Ride with us" Carl asked, pulling me towards the Jeep. "Okay," I whispered, calling Dog over towards me.

Carl climbed in the Jeep and then Dog hopped inside settling in the back on top of some bags. I nodded to Daryl before I got in myself. We waited for the rest of the group to get loaded up before the caravan of cars and trucks and RV took off down the gravel road.

We'd be on the road for at least two and half hours, which meant we'd arrive in the city just around nightfall. I looked out the window at the cloudy sky above us and said goodbye to Amy, and Merle. It's hard to believe that our world has come to this, especially looking out the window. It looks normal, lush trees swaying in the breeze on a hot summer day. We headed out onto the main road. Rick had slowed the Jeep down and began rolling his window down.

"Hey kid. You sure you want to tackle all this on your own?" He asked, causing me to look out the window. He was talking to Bash. Damn, he'd walked pretty far in that short amount of time.

"I'm good, really." Bash said, walking up to the window. Lori smiled at Bash, and held Rick's hand. "Come with us, we need to stick together. It's the only way." She tried to persuade him. Bash looked like he was debating on what to do. Whether to trust Ricks instincts or follow his own.

"Come on, you can always leave later." I said, smirking at him out the window. He rolled his eyes, and opened the door and got in next to me. I scooted over in the middle next to Carl, to give him room.

"Thank you." Bash whispered up to Lori and Rick, shooting me a look, and shaking his head before slumping down into the seat. I listened to Lori and Rick talk about the little things they'd done with Carl, reminiscing. Bash had opened his window, and I could feel the breeze pouring in, scattering my hair across my face.

As we settled into the road, I felt myself start to relax slightly. I closed my eyes and nodded out, feeling the warmth of the sun as it shone through the windows of the Jeep. Before I knew it I was fast asleep on Bash's shoulder. I awoke to the sound of someone's horn beeping which was our signal if something was wrong.

Startled I opened my eyes, and realized the train of vehicles had stopped. I also noticed I was leaning on Bash and immediately sat up, "Sorry." I whispered, as he shrugged and opened the door. We all climbed out except for Dog, and headed up front.

Dale had the hood to the RV popped open with clouds of white smoke puffing out of the engine. This isn't good at all. I glanced at Bash as he lit a cigarette and flicked the empty pack into the woods. "It's the hose again." Dale revealed, as every other male in the group took a look at the engine. Guys and engines… I shook my head and laughed quietly to myself.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked, as Bash and Shane walked up the road a little to see what was ahead.

"That's all it's been so far, it's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." Dale said, well of course we're out of duct tape.

"There's a gas station or something up ahead," Shane said, as he walked back over towards the RV.

"You hold the fort down, while we ride up a head and see what's there." Shane told rick, picking up a rifle and handing it to Bash. As they left the group Anita came out the RV and told us that Jim, the man that had been bitten by the walker couldn't hold on much longer. Rick went in to try and talk to him and convince him to hold on, just a little bit longer. But, to no avail.

Jim was tired of suffering, and holding on. He was ready to be with his family, to let go of all the pain and suffering he'd endured throughout this entire mess. It sounded nice in a way. It was heartbreaking to watch Rick and Shane carry Jim out of the RV and lean him against a tree on the side of the road. He wanted to die, and in some way I didn't blame.

We all said our goodbye's and headed back to the vehicles. I stood by the Jeep and wiped the tears out of my eyes as we all loaded up. I forced myself not to look back at Jim. I glanced at Bash as we continued down the road, and he nudged my knee with his. He slumped down into the seat again and laid his arm across the back of the seat and chewed his finger nail while he spaced out the window.

His arm kept tickling the hair on the back of my neck. But strangely I didn't mind. I decided to help Carl work on some of his little homework assignments while we drove. Roughly an hour and an half later we made our way through the outskirts of the city, stopping near the CDC.

It was a huge building with tons of glass windows. The military had built barricades around the entire building with sandbags, but it didn't look like it helped much. There were thousands of dead walkers lying sprawled out on the ground.

"Oh my god." I whispered, as we got out of the cars and walked forward. Everyone had their weapons drawn and ready, just in case we came across a live walker. Well, a dead walker.

"Everyone keep moving, and stay quiet." Shane instructed as I stayed behind Daryl. We moved slow and cautiously through the maze of dead walkers. The smell protruding out of the walkers was enough to make you gag. As we walker I looked at their decomposing bodies, covered with flies and maggots.

We continued to work our way through and move closer towards the entrance to the building. I was stepping over a walkers hand when I felt something clamp down on my ankle, I shrieked lightly but covered my mouth not wanting to scream and draw more walkers near. "Daryl," I whispered, but they were further up ahead. I tried to pull my foot away from it, but it clamped down hard and moaned. I kicked it with my other foot but it just pissed it off.

"Daryl!" I hissed again, I could still see him moving ahead of me. He wasn't looking back either. Dammit. That's when Bash doubled back to me, he looked down and pulled out his pocket knife and stabbed the walker in the face. I flinched away from the scene.

"He's still holding on!" I whispered, trying to free my foot. Bash glanced at me and slammed his knife down chopping the walkers hand off. It released my ankle then; Bash brushed his hand up my calf and grabbed my hand, "Come on." He said, as we ran to catch up with the others.

We approached the building only to find out all the doors and gates were locked, I stopped running and coughed feeling an asthma attack coming on. Bash let go of my hand and stepped ahead of me to see if he could help any.

"No is here!" T-Dog whispered, scanning the area for oncoming walkers. "Then why are these shutters down!" Rick spat back, pounding on the door and trying to open the gate.

"Walkers!" Carol yelled, forcing us all to turn around. A scattered amount of walkers were heading in our direction. Shit. Daryl fired an arrow out of his crossbow, taking one down with a shot to the eye. "You lead us to a damn graveyard!" Daryl yelled, as he took down two more walkers.

Panic had settled in upon the group, "You shut up! You hear me! Shut the hell up!" Shane said, shoving Daryl back. Carl and Sophia had started to cry and I was on the brink again, we have to find somewhere to stay, but where. "This place is overrun, we need to go!" Shane yelled, forcing everyone back away from the doors.

"Go where, we have nowhere to go!" Carol yelled.

"We can't be in the city this close to dark!" Lori screamed, trying to get Rick to think of a new plan.

"Fort Benning! Still an option, man." Shane said, as Rick beat on the door more.

"On what? We have no food or fuel. It's 100 miles in the opposite direction, we would never make it!" I shrieked, feeling myself body tense up.

"125 miles, I checked the map." Glenn added, I shot him a look. The entire grouped began shouting at one another, and screaming and arguing on what our best option was. We didn't have a best option, we stay here much longer we're all dead. I was staring at the door when I noticed a tiny white dome camera placed above the gigantic shuttered door. As I moved closer the camera followed me.

"Guys!" I yelled, trying to get someone's attention. "Hey!" I yelled again, getting Shane and Rick's attention that time. "The camera moved, there's someone in there!" I said, beating on the door again.

"You imagined it." Daryl spat out, pulling on my arm. I wretched myself free, as Rick began shouting at the camera, "Please! I know you're in there! We have women and children, help us! We have no food and hardly any gas! Please help us!" He screamed, kicking and beating furiously on the door.

"Rick, let's go! This place is dead!" Shane yelled, pulling him away from the door. Daryl grabbed my arm and yanked me alongside him, back towards the cars. "You're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick screamed, as we started to run once again, firing at the oncoming walkers.

We all froze when we heard the clang and hiss over the metal shuttered doors open. We turned around to see a flood of white light rushing out from beneath the door. Someone was alive in there…


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**Riley's Point of View**

We all stood frozen in place and stared at the luminous white light blinding us for moment before we snapped back into reality and decided to head inside the building. After a few seconds the spot lights that had been shining, died down. Daryl shot me a look as we proceeded forward under the large metal shutter door. We moved in a formation, keeping our front and back guarded by someone with a weapon.

As we walked inside I looked up, the building was huge, with thousands of windows that rose all the way to the ceiling. This place didn't feel inviting that's for sure, the dim lighting actually made the place seem so creepy. Our footsteps echoed off the walls as we pushed inside a little further. We heard the click of a gun and froze when we heard a male voice off to the side, I was so on edge that I actually latched my hand around the persons arm I was standing next too, Bash…

"Anyone infected?" The man asked, as he moved slowly out of the shadows. He was an older man maybe in his forties, with blonde hair and a pained expression across his face. He kept his gun fixed on Rick and the others, while Daryl kept his crossbow fixed on him. I felt Bash place his hand in mine, causing me to look down and up at him quickly.

"You're killing my arm," He whispered, focusing back on the man holding us at gun point. I guess I sort of was digging my nails into his forearm, I wanted to pull my hand away from him, but it felt comforting in a way, so I left it. Daryl was never one to comfort anyone, but himself with a bottle of whiskey. Bash squeezed my hand a little as if he were saying he didn't mind. I was great full for that.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick told the man, inching closer towards him.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" The man asked, moving out into the open more.

"A chance." Rick said.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man said, slightly lowering his weapon. Daryl was getting anxious; I could tell by the way he kept fidgeting holding his crossbow. "I know." Rick responded, out of breath.

"You all submit to a blood test! That's the price of admission." The blonde haired man hollered as he gave each and every single one of us the one over. He's probably trying to figure out if we're going to kill him and take over the facility or something. I'm not too keen on needles, but if it means we can stay here, I'll suck it up and do the damn blood test.

"We can do that." Rick replied, finally lowering his weapon. I touched Daryl's shoulder, forcing him to let his guard down a little. He never let his guard fall completely; I guess that's where he and I are different. I trust people to easily when I shouldn't, which makes me worry about Bash a little bit. I glanced down as I felt him rub his thumb over the top of my hand.

"If you have anything else to bring in, I suggest you do it now. Once those doors close, they will not open again." The man ordered, sending us all running back to the cars to gather our belongings. I went back for Dog, and made sure to hold onto his collar as I led him back into the facility. I didn't want him running off again. Once we had everything out of the vehicles the man who I'd overheard introducing himself as Dr. Jenner to Rick led us down a few halls towards and elevator.

I stood behind Lori and Carl and watched as Dr. Jenner swiped his security access card through the key pad; the lights went from red to green, signifying we were indeed locked securely in the building. I didn't know whether to feel happy about that or not. "Vi shut of the power to the main entrance." He spoke into the intercom.

Dr. Jenner led us all towards an elevator and let us all file inside. I was in the back being squished beside Daryl and Bash. You could hear the hum of the elevator as it descended into the unknown. Bash cleared his throat before speaking, "Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" He asked Dr. Jenner, glancing down at the semi-automatic weapon he'd been hugging towards his chest.

"There were quite a few lying around, I familiarized myself." Dr. Jenner smiled, as he glanced around at everyone again. He was unsure of us probably about as much as we were of him.

"You all look harmless enough." He spoke after a few moments had passed, he glanced down at Carl, "But you, I'll have to keep my eye on you." He teased, making me smirk a little. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad. There's bound to be others here as well. This place is huge; it's bigger than a freaking football stadium.

Once the elevator doors swooshed open Dr. Jenner walked us down a serious of long hallways and corridors. The place was pretty basic, white walls and bright white lights that flickered every so often. The smell reminded me of a hospital, it was clean and sterile. The kind of smell that made you want to puke. We continued to walk until we stopped in a circular room, with tons of computers and walls filled with screens. I'm guessing this is like one of the main control centers for the CDC.

"Vi bring up the lights in the main room." Dr. Jenner order the invisible woman we have yet to see. I glanced around, but there really was no one else around. The dark room soon began to fill with the incandescent white light that my eyes were just starting to adjust too.

"Where is everyone? The other doctors, staff?" Rick asked, as we all walked down a small ramp leading the center of the room. Dr. Jenner looked at us like we had three heads. "I'm it." He said, solemnly.

"I'm the only one here." He confirmed again, noticing all of the wide eyed looks we were all giving him. He can't be the only one here, it's impossible, right? He was just speaking to someone a few seconds ago. This guy is full of shit, if you asked me.

"What about the person you were speaking with?" I asked, stepping forward. Dr. Jenner nodded his head and smiled coldly. "Vi, say hello to our guests. Say welcome!" He instructed the invisible person again.

"Hello guests, welcome." The woman's voice echoed through the room. It was a computer, not a person. I felt my heart sink a little, not really knowing why. "I'm sorry, but I'm all that's left here."

We followed Dr. Jenner into a study room and took our required blood tests. I was one of the last ones to go, followed by Bash. I sat down in the chair in front of Dr. Jenner and placed my arm on the table so he could begin searching for a vein. It didn't take long before I felt the slight pinch accompanied only by a needle prick. It stung like hell, I always hated needles.

"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." Bash asked. Dr. Jenner looked up at the tall shaggy haired boy standing behind me, as he continued to draw my blood.

"I've already broken every rule in the book by letting you all in here. At least let me be thorough." He said, giving Bash an apologetic look. I could already tell Bash was rolling his eyes from behind me.

"Alright, kid. All done." He told me, as he placed a cotton swab over the needle prick. I went to stand up and became extremely dizzy in the process, I closed my eyes for a split second to try and calm my nerves down, but I felt myself falling. Bash grabbed my waist to keep me from face planting onto the floor.

Daryl was by side, taking over for Bash in an instant. He really didn't like him, at all. "You alright." He said, as he led me to sit down in an empty chair. Dr. Jenner looked over at us concerned, "She hasn't eaten much in days. None of us have." Daryl said, sitting down beside me. I sat there and tried to get the room to stop spinning as I watched Bash get his blood drawn as well. He placed his arm on the table just as I had done, and I couldn't help but noticed how muscular his arms really were. The veins in his arms were sticking out.

Once Jenner was finished taking Bash's blood he brought us to the cafeteria and provided us with a mini feast of some sort. It wasn't really a feast per say, but he had pans of lasagna, rolls, and a few other snacks, some wine and beer. More of a variety than we've all had in quite some time. Everyone graciously gathered around the large table and began to dig in, and enjoy the wine and beer.

I'd settled on top of one the tables, crossing my legs Indian style and began picking at my plate of food, and listening to everyone laughing and carrying on. It was nice to see them all smile for a little while. Bash snagged a beer off one of the other tables and came to sit next to me on the table. He took a drink of the beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then offered it to me.

"I better not." I said, nodding my head towards Daryl. He had his eye on us already, but even he too was relaxing for a moment. I sat there quietly next to Bash and ate and secretly stole glances at him every once in a while. I'm glad he stayed; at least I'll have a friend that's close to my age here.

"You know in France, Italy children are allowed a taste of wine with dinner." Dale said, pouring another glass of wine for Lori. "Well, when Carl is in Italy he can have some them." She responded, I guess little Carl wanted to join in on all fun everyone seemed to be having. He looked up at his mom and dad giving them the sweetest pouty face he could muster up. That kid was golden at the guilt trip.

"What's it going to hurt? Come on." Rick egged it on surprisingly; he smirked at his wife who then conceded. Carl laughed, and picked up the small glass of wine Dale had sparingly poured for him. He smelled it, and then took the tiniest sip.

"Blech, that's gross!" He shrieked, setting the cup down and wiping his tongue off with the palm of his hand. Bash and I looked at each other and laughed along with everyone else. "Why don't you just stick to soda pop, bud." Shane said, looking at Carl and Lori. I couldn't help but notice how weird Shane had been acting ever since Rick had returned to his family. It was creepy, and now that I'm sitting here thinking about he had his gun pointed and set on Rick in the woods.

I sat my empty plate down, and shifted uncomfortably next to Bash. "Nice necklace." I said, looking down at the faux dog tag necklace he had dangling around his neck. Bash looked down and plopped the necklace back underneath of his shirt, hiding it from me. "My brother gave it to me." He whispered, downing the rest of his beer and getting another one. My mind drifted to Merle, my brother…

"It seems we haven't thanked our host properly," Rick said, as he raised his glass to a clammed up Dr. Jenner at the end of the table. Everyone seconded Rick's notion and raised their glasses in the air as well thanking the man that had probably saved all of our lives.

"So when are you going to tell us what the hell happened here, doc?" Shane asked, ignoring the celebration taking place around him. Rick and Lori both rolled their eyes at him, "All the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?" He pressed the Doctor again.

"We're celebrating, Shane. We don't need to do this now." Rick said.

"Whoa, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move, supposed to find all the answers. Instead we found this guy. Found one man, why?" Shane said, holding back a chuckle.

"Well, when things got bad a lot of people just left, to be with their families, and when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted." Dr. Jenner said, looking pointedly at Shane.

"That's it, they just left?" Shane asked, raising his eyebrows at the doctor. He wasn't buying it.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They… Opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." Dr. Jenner said, as if the events were playing back in his mind again.

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked.

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." He replied. Bash got up to through his beer bottle away, "Man you are such a buzzkill." He said, under his breath as he walked past Shane. He was right, this could have waited until morning, but no G.I Joe Shane had to ruin it. When we finished eating Jenner led us to where we'd be staying, we walked down a lit hallway and peered into several rooms with couches and adjoining bathrooms.

"Most of the facility is powered down, including housing, so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in any of the video games, or anything that draws power. The same applies if you shower; go easy on the hot water." Jenner instructed, before he left us for the night. My mind was stuck on the part about a hot shower.

Daryl and I shared a room, I claimed the couch and he grudgingly claimed the floor. I plopped down on the sofa in our room and sighed, while I waited for him to get done taking a shower. Once he finished it was my turn. It felt so amazing to get all of the mud and crud and grime off of my body. It felt like a layer of my skin had washed away. I'd also taken the time to fall apart in the shower as well; I'd been holding back the tears all day…

I pulled on a black tank top and a pair of striped sleeping shorts after I got out of the shower. I'd almost fallen on top of Daryl, who was lying on the floor already as I came out of the bathroom, he laughed and so did I. "I'm going to go check out the rec room, want to come?" I asked, pulling my hair into a loose bun.

"Nah, you go on ahead, I'm going to sleep." Daryl said, as he rolled on his side. I grabbed a blanket off the couch, wrapping it around myself and ushered Dog to come with me; he'd been crashing on the bathroom floor while I was in the shower. We walked down the hall a little ways until we found the rec room.

It was a decent sized room, with two walls lined with book shelves full of books, a few couches and sitting chairs. There was a television, but Jenner said not to turn it on. As I walked in I noticed some board games were scattered on the coffee tables, I walked over towards the book shelf and started to browse for a minute. I found a Nicholas Sparks book and grabbed it and headed over towards the couch.

I'd been reading for about twenty minutes when I realized I wasn't alone in the room. Bash had ventured in, inspecting the room and the book shelf. His shaggy hair was damp, and he was wearing a pair of black gym shorts, and a clean grey t-shirt. I kept my eyes on my book, as he walked over and flopped down on the remaining part of the couch. He sighed, "That shower felt fucking great."

"Agreed, the shower on the RV sucked, and it was never warm." I told him, as I turned the page. He sat up, and peered over at what I was reading. "What?" I asked, looking at him. He smirked as he pulled a small zip locked bag out of his pocket.

"Is everyone in bed?" He asked, glancing towards the open door to the room. "I think so, Lori and Carol went to put the kids to bed a bit ago. Why?" I asked, setting my book down on the coffee table. Bash bit his lip and opened the bag, "Want to smoke it?" He asked, pulling out a joint.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, looking at him laughing. He laughed as well, it was really the first time I'd ever seen him smile. "That's not really important." He said, smelling the joint. I rolled my eyes, and shook my head.

"You go ahead, I've got asthma remember?" I told him, walking back over to the bookshelf to find something else. Bash got up and took my hand, "What are you doing?" I asked, wanting to pull away from him, but I didn't. He rolled his eyes as he led me towards the cafeteria.

"There's more than one way to get high, princess." He said, releasing my hand as we walked into the kitchen. He searched around the kitchen for a bowl and a few ingredients, eventually found a box of brownie mix and set it on the metal counter top.

"I'm assuming you can make brownies?" He asked, leaning into the counter, smirking at me. "You cannot be serious, pot brownies?" I laughed out, pouring ingredients into the bowl. I added everything and stirred it all together while Bash poured the "special ingredient" in. Then we popped them in the oven. This is a bad idea….


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hey everyone! I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for all of the follows and the reviews for this story! I love writing it and I hope you are all enjoying it! I'm wondering if you guys could tell me what you think of my OC's Bash and Riley? I'm worried I might be making them move to fast towards a romantic thing, and I'd love your input, or if I should make them get together at all. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, I have assignments due for class :( Let me know what you think! :)_**

**Chapter 9:**

**Riley's Point of View**

We placed the pan of brownies in the small oven, and sat on the counter and waited for them to get done. I could already smell them cooking. Bash hopped down off the counter and started rummaging through more of the cabinets, searching for something. He checked one of the bottom cabinets and stood up holding a bottle of vodka, grinning at me. "We can't drink that." I hissed, scared someone was going to catch us.

"Relax; no one is going to know." He told me, taking a swig of it right out of the bottle. He made a face and handed it to me. I bit my lip and took a shot, immediately handing it back to him. "So what's the story behind the necklace?" I asked innocently, remembering how he clammed up earlier when I'd seen it. I shouldn't have brought it up again, but I didn't know anything about him really, other than he was a semi jackass, a lone wolf until now, and he'd lost his family.

"I told you my brother gave it to me." He replied, taking a long drink of the vodka, and looking at the floor. Bash sighed when he realized I wanted more details, he moaned as he sat on the counter across from me.

"I was supposed to join the army before…the world went to hell. My brother younger brother Jesse had them made for my 18th birthday. It's just one of the only things I held on to." He said, holding the dog tags in his hands.

"I'm sorry you lost your family…" I told him, as he looked like he was holding back tears. My parents weren't the best people in the world, but not having them around still hurt, just like it hurt to loose Merle.

"Me too." He whispered, I wanted to know more but I didn't want to press anymore tonight. The oven beeped before we could say anything else, I hopped down and pulled the pan of brownies out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool off a little. Once they were cool we placed them on a plate and headed back towards the rec room, I'd eaten one on the walk back, while Bash had inhaled three.

We passed Lori on our way back to the rec room; she looked upset about something, but said nothing when I tried to ask if she was alright. We plopped down on the couch and I could already feel my head starting to spin and my chest began to get warm, while my heart raced. Bash and I ate half a pan of the "special brownies" together, both of us feeling the effects of the drugs.

We sat on the couch and talked about random little things, just getting to know each other. I noticed an acoustic guitar sitting on one of the arm chairs I hadn't seen earlier and got up off the couch and went to pick it up. "You play?" Bash asked, slumping down into the couch more.

"I used too, a long time ago. I had a really beautiful Taylor guitar, it was the nicest thing I've ever owned, but Merle needed money to pay off a "debt" he owed, so it mysteriously came up missing." I said, setting down on the coffee table. I laughed on the inside thinking about how pissed off I was at him. Now I'd give anything to be pissed off at him again. Bash must have noticed I was thinking because he sat up a little, "Play me something." He said, propping his feet on the coffee table beside my legs.

"Umm… No way!" I laughed, trying to tune the guitar a little. It hadn't been played in a while, that's for sure. Bash smirked at me, "Why not? I like music, play something. If you suck, I promise I won't laugh." He said, holding his hand over his heart.

"You can't laugh," I ordered, glaring at him. "Scout's honor." He replied, I rolled my eyes and tried to think of something to play. I bit my lip and played a few chords trying to get a feel for it again. When I felt comfortable enough with it I began to play… I closed my eyes and sang out the only part I remembered on the guitar.

_"__Music starts playin' like the end of a sad movie,_

_It's the kinda ending you don't really wanna see._

_Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down,_

_Now I don't know what to be without you around._

_And we know it's never simple, never easy._

_Never a clean break, no one here to save me._

_You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand,_

_And I can't breathe without you_

_But I have to._

_Breathe without you_

_But I have to."_

When I finally stopped playing and opened my eyes I immediately felt embarrassed, I sat the guitar down and laughed covering my face with my hands. "Not bad, princess." Bash said, as I flopped down on the couch beside him, wrapping myself up in my blanket. "You're blushing." Bash said, pointing towards my warm and reddening cheeks.

"I am not!" I hissed, playfully smacking him on the arm, only for him to catch my wrist and push me back on the couch. I laughed, but was a little startled by his quick movement. He tickled my rib cage and caused me to laugh before he sunk into the side of the couch beside me. We were still coming down off the high of the brownies. We lied there in silence for a moment, then I watched as Bash closed his eyes for a moment, falling sleep within seconds.

I've never slept this close to anyone, not to mention someone I still hardly knew. I should feel uncomfortable lying this close to him, but for some strange reason I don't. I wanted to get up, I needed to get up. We can't sleep together like this, but when I tried he placed his arm over my stomach, holding my side protectively. "Bash," I whispered, poking his arm. He didn't budge. "Bash, wake up." I tried again, but it was pointless, he slept like a rock.

Finally, I gave up and closed my eyes as well. Every so often I felt Bash move his hand on my side, trying to get comfortable again. I tried to fall asleep, eventually doing so to the sound of him lightly breathing in my ear…

I awoke the next morning curled into Bash's chest, my face nuzzled into his chest, with his arm wrapped around me. Both of us were lying covered up with the same blanket. I opened my eyes one at a time, blinking away the blurriness in my eyes I realized how close we were. I gently tilted my head up to see if he was awake, he wasn't. Dammit. That means I'm still trapped here beside him, not that I'm complaining really. I closed my eyes again, enjoying the security I felt right now. I don't know if it was his arm around me or the fact that I woke up inside the CDC.

I was somewhere in between being awake and asleep when I felt something touching my arm lightly; it was Bash tracing the tips of his fingers up my arm slowly. He's definitely awake now, but he must not think I am. I felt every hair on my arm as he grazed it. I nudged my head around slightly, telling him I was awake. He immediately stopped touching my arm, and we broke apart. There was a painful and awkward silence between us. "How long were you awake?" Bash asked, probably hoping I hadn't felt him touching my arm.

"I just now woke up," I said, feeling uncomfortable around him suddenly. "I'm going to go… find Daryl." I said, getting up and getting out of there before he could say anything else to me. What the hell? I walked into our room, and brushed my teeth and took a shower, pulling on a pair of ripped up jeans and a mustard yellow t-shirt that had a lady bug on it, it read bug off. I left my damp hair down and headed off to really find Daryl.

I wondered around for a bit until I eventually found everyone gathered in the main room with Dr. Jenner. He was pulling up something on one of the main screens when I crept in the room. "Vi: Playback of TS-19." He spoke to the computer. What the hell does TS-19 mean? I was about to join the others when I felt someone lightly touch my arm. Turning around I faced Bash, I glanced at the floor. "Hey," I said, shyly. Not knowing what else to say, he was touching me while I was asleep, it was weird, right?

"Hey," he countered back, "Look about this morning, I wasn't trying to be weird or anything when I was holding you or whatever, I thought you'd remember but when you looked at me this morning I knew you didn't."

"Last night, you were having a bad dream, or something but you were crying… in your sleep." He whispered, as Jenner brought up an MRI of someone's head on the main screen. "I didn't know what to do, I was trying to calm you down, you did it again this morning, before you woke up… I..uh.. I didn't want you to think I was coming on to you or something while you were asleep or something like that." He said, before nodding and walking further into the main room. Well, now I feel like a bitch for being creeped out by him. He was just trying to be nice; I forgot that I even did that in the middle of the night. Daryl had told me I had nightmares, but I never remembered them in the morning.

"Very few people ever got the chance to see this." Dr. Jenner said, as I walked over and stood by Daryl, he looked completely trashed from last night, I just hope he can't tell I was stoned last night. The images on the screen loading slowly, showing us what looked like a human being.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked, looking thrilled and grossed out all at the same time. I couldn't help but smile a little at his reaction. "It is an extraordinary brain." Dr. Jenner replied.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this chapter is short! I wanted to post something for you guys! This chapter gives you a glimpse inside Bash's past a little bit, there's definitely more to come out about him for sure, so stay tuned. Please let me know what you think of my OC's, it would help me out a lot. I am still a little uncertain about them, I've never written two OC's in one story before so it's a challenge for sure. Let me know whatcha think! :) **

**Next chapter will be longer for sure! Promise! I can't wait to start writing for Season 2! I'm so excited! So yeah, I am going to quit rambling and let you get to the story! :)**

**Chapter 10:**

**Riley's Point of View**

I watched out of the corner of my eye as Bash walked over and slumped himself down in one of the desk chairs and stared at the images Jenner was showing us, "Vi: Show us the internal view" Dr. Jenner instructed.

The computer quickly scanned through various images until it landed on one particular one. As the image zoomed in we could all tell this was clearly an MRI of someone's brain. It showed a million little blue light electrodes sprouting around in the person's brain. "What are the blue lights?" I asked, interested in learning more.

"It's a person's life, their experiences, their memories. It's everything." Jenner spoke, turning in circles to look at all of us then back up at the gigantic screens. "Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light is you, the thing that makes you unique and human." Jenner continued.

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl asked, looking up at the screens. It's funny, when Dr. Jenner explains it like that it doesn't seem like we are really made up of much, just a few thousand ripples of blue light flowing through our brains at a warped speed. I kept my eyes glued on the waves of light as they washed across the screen, completely mesmerized by it.

"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Dr. Jenner spoke, pausing at the end.

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked, stepping forward.

"Yes." Dr. Jenner simply replied, without any emotion, "Or rather the playback of the vigil."

"This person died?" Andrea asked, on the brink of tears. I walked over towards her and wrapped my arm around her comfortingly. I had tried not to think about Amy or Merle since they well you know died.

"This was someone who was bitten, and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi: scan forward to the first event." Jenner ordered. My eyes had flicked from the screen towards Bash for a moment. He was wiping his eyes like he too was holding back tears and flipping his dog tag necklace around in his fingers. I looked away as his eyes jumped to me.

The computer screens jumped ahead a few hours and we watched as the bright blue flickering lights in the brain slowly changed to dull lifeless black strands of nothing. "What is that?" Glenn asked, from behind me. I was wondering the same thing myself.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down then the major organs. Then death." Dr. Jenner replied, captivated by the screens himself. The brain on the screen had ceased to move and was now nothing but a dark hole. This is what happened to Amy and most likely to my brother. This is what happened to Jim, and to Bash's family. I wiped the tears as they fell from my eyes.

"Everything you ever were or would be… gone." Jenner whispered after a moment. I whipped my head around when I heard Bash get up and slam his chair into one of the desks as he walked out of the main room. He was clearly upset. Everyone stood there and watched as Bash stormed off, I don't know why but I followed him out.

"Bash!" I called after him as he continued to walk down the hallway completely ignoring me.

"Bash, wait!" I said, finally catching up to him as he rounded the corner and stormed into his room, leaving the door open. I wasn't sure I should enter or not, I placed my hand on the wooden door and pushed it the rest of the way open slowly. When I walked in I could see Bash sitting on the edge of the couch with his head in his hands.

"Bash, are you okay?" I asked timidly.

"Get the hell out." He ordered, his voice cracking slightly. I crept into the room and knelt down beside him on the floor. After a few moments he lifted his head up and glared at me, he looked at me with the coldest expression.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped, getting to his feet and pacing around the room. "You seemed upset, I just… I don't know…wanted to check on you." I replied, getting back to my feet as well. Bash scoffed and picked up a half empty bottle of vodka and took a drink of it. He's clearly hurting that's for sure.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked him, as he downed more of the alcohol. He smirked and wiped the liquid that had run down his chin with the back of his hand.

"Talk about what? Talk about how I watched my family go through that exact same thing, or the fact that I had to put a bullet between my brother's eyes because my mom couldn't deal after my dad left us to fend for ourselves!" He hissed, drinking more and more.

"Or no, let's talk about how I came back from a run and found my mother's dead body lying on the living room floor, and the house ransacked through. Yeah, let's talk about all of that…" He laughed, shaking his head and slinging the bottle of vodka around. I was at a loss for words in that moment; I covered my hand over my mouth and cried silently on the inside for him.

"Get out, just get the fuck out and leave me the hell alone!" He yelled at me, I stood there frozen. I wanted to say something, anything to ease his pain. The truth is nothing I could say would take that away from him. "Bash, I'm...So...Sorry." I whispered out, as he looked at me, his eyes full of hurt and anger.

Bash gulped down the remaining amount of vodka in the bottle and then slung it at the wall beside me. Glass shards flew everywhere. I turned and ran out of the room, running back towards my own. I slammed the door shut and slid down onto the ground in front of it, and cried…

I was sitting curled on the couch with Dog when Daryl finally worked his way back to our room with a bottle of whiskey. He came in and shooed the dog off the sofa and plopped down. "Why the hell is that dog sleeping in our room, ain't it his?" Daryl asked me, while spaced out on the grey carpet.

"He gave him to me." I whispered, getting up and walking into the bathroom. I ran some cold water over my hands and splashed some on my face and dried it off. I looked up as I saw the lights in the bathroom flicker, I walked back out into the room when the lights cut off completely.

"What the hell?" Daryl said, getting up and walking towards the door. He opened it and peered out into the hallway.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?" He asked, as I saw Jenner swoosh past him, snagging the whiskey out of his hand as he went. I walked over and stood beside Daryl, everyone was out of their rooms wondering what was going on.

"Why is everything being turned off?" Daryl asked again, as we all started to follow Dr. Jenner down the hallway. I have a really bad feeling about this. "Energy is being prioritized." Jenner finally said, over his shoulder. Bash came stumbling out of his room, "Air isn't a priority? And the lights?" He snapped back at Jenner, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down." Jenner said, gulping down a shot of Daryl's whiskey. What does he mean it's shutting down; can't he turn it back on? I kept following close behind my brother, feeling Carl latch his hand around mine as we walked.

"Hey! Hey, man what does that mean? I'm talking to you!" Daryl yelled after Jenner, running to catch up to him.

"How can a damn building do this?" Bash yelled, pushing past Carl and I gently.

"You'd be surprised." Jenner said, coyly. We rounded a corner and came back to the main room, as we followed Jenner down a flight of stairs Rick and the rest of the group came to meet up with us. "What is happening!" Rick demanded, stopping Jenner in his tracks.

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark." Jenner said, as he kept pushing forward towards the main room.

As we approached the main room, my eyes landed on a countdown clock I had missed seeing before. I don't know how I could have missed it though, it was huge. The time read a half hour, just like Jenner said it would. What the hell is happening? We were supposed to be able to live here, and be safe and not have to worry as much…

Dr. Jenner walked back into the center of the main room and started typing something on his computer, "It was the French, by the way. They were the ones that lasted the longest. While everyone else was running scared, or committing suicide in the halls, they stayed in the labs and kept working." He said, over his shoulder as Bash walked up beside me.

"But, they ran out of fuel. You know, the world runs on fossil fuels, how stupid is that?" Jenner asked, turning around to face us, with a wicked smirk on his face. What is wrong with this guy? My head is in a tail spin right now, and I feel like I'm about to puke.

_"__30 Minutes Until Decontamination Begins"_

We all heard a loud blaring beep go off, as the lights dimmed down in the main room, I clamped my hand around Bash's forearm again without thinking; he slid our hands together without so much as looking me.

"Everyone get your stuff, we're getting the hell out of here!" Rick yelled, we all turned to run to go back to our rooms, but the metal doors leading out of the main room closed, locking us in. We were trapped. We were all in a panic now, looking to Jenner to release us.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

**Riley's Point of View**

It seemed like time stopped right in front of me. I stood there frozen as everyone screamed and yelled at one another trying to figure out what the hell was about to happen to us all. "He just locked us in!" Glenn yelled, although to me it sounded like he was a million miles away. As the clock ticked down Jenner said nothing to any of us. I snapped back into reality when I felt Bash let go of my hand to go after Daryl.

"You son of a bitch! Open the damn doors!" Daryl screamed as he went at Dr. Jenner with a bottle of whiskey, he coward behind Shane and Bash as they tried their best to hold Daryl off of him. "You lying son of a bitch!" Daryl spat out venomously. Everyone scrambled to avoid the scuffle taking place in front of them. I ran over and grabbed Daryl's arm attempting to help pull him back. "Stop it!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face rapidly.

After a moment Daryl backed up and began pacing the floors, I looked at Bash as he took his place beside me again. "Jenner, open that door now!" Rick commanded walking over towards the Doctor perched in the desk chair. He can't keep us locked in here. This guy is taking the whole mad scientist thing a little too seriously.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Jenner replied, without any emotion, he was way to calm and collected. The clock was running down and the longer this guy jerked us around the less time we had to get the hell out of here, before god knows what happens.

"Well open the damn things!" Dale suggested, frantically looking around at everyone.

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that." Dr. Jenner replied.

"We didn't think you meant it literally asshole!" I yelled going at the doctor just as my brother had done a few moments ago Bash grabbed my waist and pulled me back toward him to keep me from going any further. Whatever was about to happen to us all wasn't good. That much I could predict. I hated the feeling of being locked in, and trapped like this. I'm sure Daryl did too. When we were younger our father had locked us in a pantry for two days, while he went on a bender.

"It's better this way." Dr. Jenner tried to plead with us. He was so sincere when he spoke that I actually felt sorry for him. The guys been locked in here alone for god knows how long, no wonder he fucking snapped.

"What is?" Ricked asked, latching on to Loris hand. "What happens in 28 minutes?" Dr. Jenner ignored Rick's questions and began typing on his computer.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" He screamed again. Everyone was on edge and I could feel my own blood beginning to boil beneath my skin. I wanted out of here, and soon. Shane scoffed and walked over and slung Jenner's chair away from the computer causing him to jump up.

"You know what this place is? We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out ever!" Dr. Jenner hollered as he inched closer and closer to us all. He was panicked and stressed, as he slumped back into his chair.

"In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack, for example: H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." Jenner said solemnly.

"H.I.T.s?" Rick asked, we were all wondering the exact same thing. "Vi: Define." Jenner said, looking up at the ceiling. I stepped forward and waited for the computer to ultimately tell us our fate.

"HITS: high impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 degrees and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired." The computer churned out the definition.

"It sets the air on fire." I whispered, placing a hand over my mouth and shaking my head. I wanted to scream, but my entire body felt numb. We are all about to be killed. "Yes, you are correct. It sets the air on fire, no pain." Jenner replied, as I turned into Bash's shoulder. He placed his arm around me protectively and tried to get me to stop shaking. I stayed buried in his side as I listened to the sounds of everyone crying around me. The clock.

I turned around and looked at the clock ticking away on the wall. We had 27 minutes left. "You have to let us go!" I cried, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. There has to be a way out. As sophisticated as this place is, surely there is a way out or a way to turn it off. Dr. Jenner ignored me as Lori pulled me into her and Carl.

"It's an end to sorrow, grief, regret... Everything." Jenner whispered, yeah I guess being burned alive would put an end to everything. My breathing was being ragged which meant an asthma attack was coming on. I could feel my chest tightening as I started to breathe more rapidly. Lori made me sit down on the ground and kept telling me to breathe slowly. It helped, but not much. I've fought through an attack before...

Daryl had knelt down beside me for a moment, but was now throwing anything he could get his hands on at the door. I heard a bottle break and knew he threw the bottle of whiskey Bash had just finished off. Shane and Daryl and Bash had all started to try and bust through the metal doors with axes. The sound of them hitting the door repeatedly echoed throughout the entire room. I felt my body flinch every time the axes made contact with the metal.

"Just open the damn doors!" Bash yelled, he sounded tired and worried. Carl nuzzled himself between Lori and I on the ground. I held him tighter than I've held anything in my life, trying to give him some sense of protection from what was about to happen to us.

"You should have left well enough alone. It would have been so much easier." Jenner said as he turned to face us in his chair.

"Go to hell." I said, holding back tears. "Easier for who?" Lori questioned him, holding onto both Carl and I.

"For all of you, you know what's out there. A short, brutal life and an agonizing death. Your... Your sister, what was her name?" Jenner asked Andrea. "Amy,"

"Amy... You know what this does. You've seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" Jenner asked Rick as he approached us again. The mad scientist is trying to be a freaking shrink now.

"I don't want this!" Rick hissed back at him, clenching his jaw down.

"We can't make a dent." Shane huffed as he rested his elbows on one of the tables and tried to catch his breathe. Jenner chuckled, "Those doors were built to withstand a rocket launcher."

"He well your head ain't!" Daryl yelled, coming at Jenner with the axe held above his head. I got to my feet and helped Shane push him back. "No, no, no!" I yelled, slamming my hands into his chest and following him as he stormed off back up the ramp towards the metal doors.

"This is it, this is our end, our extinction moment. " Jenner said, looking at us all like we had twenty heads. He thinks we are crazy for wanting to try and survive this world for as long as we possibly can.

"You can't do this! You can't keep us here!" I yelled again, getting everyone's attention. I wiped the tears out of my eyes as I felt Bash place his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "It's one second, no pain, and you're free." Jenner said to me, as I stepped forward.

"This isn't right! For god sakes there little kids! Innocent little kids, that just want a chance. We just want a chance." I said, feeling defeated. I made an inaudible noise as I turned around to face the clock on the wall.

"Wouldn't it be kinder, to just hold your loved ones and wait until the clock runs out." Dr. Jenner said, but I stopped listening. I just wanted out, out of this room, out of this building. I'm only seventeen years old, I'm not ready to die. I don't want to give up, I'm a Dixon we don't just quit. I haven't even kissed a boy or had sex for that matter, I've barely lived my life. A life that's going to be over in less than 15 minutes. All of these thoughts chases&nbs p;each other around in my mind, as it began to spin.

I whipped my head around to see Shane running at Jenner with a shotgun in his hand. He screamed and ordered the Doctor to open the doors as Rick tried to talk him down. He pulled on Shane's shoulder and then I heard the loud crack and bang of the gun as it went off. Daryl grabbed my wrist and yanked me down to the ground as more shots went off. Screaming and shouting followed the final shot's out of the gun. I stayed planted on the ground, until Daryl yanked me back up&nbs p;off of it. I couldn't breathe, it felt like the outsides of my chest were caving in on my lungs. I wheezed as I watched Daryl head back towards the metal door and beat on it more with the axe.

"Just breathe." Bash whispered as he placed a hand on my back. I straightened up and looked at him through blurry eyes. I was falling apart on the inside and outside. "I don't want to die." I whispered through all the wheezing. He pulled me into his shoulder and let my cry into his sweat soaked shirt. We're almost out of time...

"We just want a choice. Let's us keep going as long as we can." I heard Lori say, as I turned my head to look at her. Jenner's eyes were fixed on the floor. But then he rose out of his chair and walked over towards a remote control keypad lying on one of the tables. "Top side is locked, I already told you that. I can't unlock those." He said, with a hardening look. We all heard a beep as the metal doors slid open.

"There's your chance. Take it." Jenner said, as we all broke into a run up the ramp. Daryl grabbed my arm and pulled me forward as we sprinted down the half lit corridors of the building. We ran back to our rooms and grabbed our bags as quickly as possible. I motioned for Dog to follow us and prayed that he did. We frantically ran up six flights of stairs, because the elevators were now shut down.

When we reached the top level, I couldn't breathe at all. I slumped down on the ground while the others ran ahead and tried to find a way out of this hell hole. T-Dog and Shane tried to bust the windows out on the front of the building but they barley cracked when they struck them with their axes. Shane then tried to shoot the window out with the shotgun but to no avail. They must be bullet proof. I rummaged through my bag until I found my inhaler and took as many hits as I&nb sp;possibly could. I too my feet and stood back and watched as they continued to do everything in there power to break us out of here.

"Rick, I think I might have something that will help." Carol said, as she pulled something out of her bag. It was a freaking grenade. I almost laughed out loud, "I found this your first night in camp, when I washed your uniform."

Rick smiled lightly and took the grenade as we all got down a good distance away. Rick pulled the pin and sat the grenade down and ran away from it. With in seconds we heard a loud boom go off, the floor shook and the glass on the window shattered. I coughed as Daryl pulled me to my feet and then yanked me towards the window. Everyone jumped out including Dog, I was the last to jump.

The sun was shining so bright in the sky as ran towards the RV and cars. The blast from the window must have drawn in walkers because they were coming at us head on. I pushed Carl forward as he hesitated to continue because of the walkers.

"Don't look at them just keep running!" I huffed out as one of the walkers fell to the ground. Daryl and Shane were doing there best to clear a path for us to the cars. We approached the cars and all piled into them as quickly as possible. Daryl and I hopped on his pick up truck with Dog and ducked down under the seats. I couldn't actually believe we made it to the cars. It didn't seem real. We heard a horrendous crack and then the entire building went up in flames, the force of the explosion rocked the truck. When it was safe to look up I saw the entire CDC building collapsed on the ground. The explosion had obliterated everything and anyone in its path. I looked at my brother as he took a deep breath.

We watched the building burn until the caravan of cars began to pull away from the mess of a building. We drove down the highway back in the direction we had come not a mere two days ago. I rested my head on the window. I don't know where we are going now, all I know is we are on the move again. We always be on the move. I'm starting to figure out that there is nowhere safe left in this world...


	12. Chapter 12

On to Season 2! Whoop whoop! Hope you are all still enjoying where this story is going; I am beyond excited to start working on Season 2! I've been dying to write this chapter for weeks, I love the highway scene and hope you like all my added details! Reviews make my day so please don't be shy, and let me know whatcha think!

Chapter 12:

Riley's Point of View

We've been on the road all night, heading back towards the direction of the quarry. I felt Dog readjust his head on my leg as I lifted my head off the window. I scratched the back of my head and tried to figure out where we were. The truck wasn't moving, we were stopped, and Daryl wasn't in the passenger seat. To my surprise it was in the middle of the day. The sun was beating through the windshield warming my legs.

Slowly, I opened the door to the beat up old truck and climbed out. My chest was killing me from the asthma attack combined with all of the running we'd done with in the last 24 hours. As I looked around I could see everyone walking around gathering supplies out of the few other parked cars in the Church parking lot we were now in. We must have stopped here last night to sleep. I walked over towards Daryl, he was tweaking a few things on his bike, which was now on the ground. Bash was knelt down beside him.

Daryl looked up as I approached them, "Hey," I said standing behind them. "You're riding with Rick and Lori now. Truck's outta juice." He said, as Bash stood up and looked at me for a moment before walking off towards the RV. They were actually talking to each other?

"Good morning to you too sunshine." I teased, as T-Dog and Shane carried some gas cans into the RV. I have no idea what's going to happen to all of us and it scares the hell out of me. We are in a terrible position right now, so vulnerable, so exposed. We have nowhere to call home. I sighed, causing Daryl to look at me again.

"We're heading to Fort Benning; see what's left of that place." He said, as he got up and hopped on the bike. With our luck it's probably already been decimated like the CDC.

"You might want to go change and clean yourself up; we're getting ready to head out." Daryl said, as he started the bike. He's the only idiot I know that will drive a loud as can be motorcycle in a zombie apocalypse. Those freaks are drawn to sound, a motorcycle isn't exactly quiet. I nodded my head and headed back to the truck to grab my bag from underneath the seat. I let Dog out of the truck so he could stretch his legs a bit and headed into the RV to change.

If I'm riding with Rick and Lori in their car I'd need to wear shorts for sure, the air conditioner is broke in that hunk of metal on wheels. I threw on a black Ramones t-shirt and my red and black plaid shirt, pulled my hair into a messy bun and headed back outside. I was shoving my toothbrush back in my bag as I stepped out of the RV, not watching where I was going and slammed right into Bash's chest.

"Sorry," I whispered as I became aware that he was holding onto my arms to keep me from falling.

"Walk much?" He smirked, and let go after a moment.

"Apparently not enough." I shot back as he walked with me over towards the Jeep as I threw my bag in the back with the rest of the supplies. Dog trotted over and insisted that Bash pet him, jumping up on him and whining as he threw his arms around the big oaf. I laughed a little, and caught Bash smiling back at me. I thought he would was pissed it me for checking on him back at the CDC. After everything he'd told me and the way he acted he seemed pissed.

"You doing okay?" He asked, as he took one of the other bag's I'd carried over from the truck and placed it in the back of the Jeep. I nodded my head as we both pulled the door down, closing the trunk.

"I'm alright, hell of a last 24 hours. You?" I asked, as a gust of wind whipped through the trees. The warm air swarmed around us and it felt great. It was probably just past noon now, but the sun was blazing. My hair had blown every direction it possibly could have, including in my face. I'd brushed most of it away, but missed a few stray pieces and just gave up. Bash had stood there and watch with amusement the entire time.

"I'll let you know." He said, smirking and gently pushing the few pieces of blonde hair behind my ear. I looked at the ground not knowing where else to look. As he pulled his hand away his fingers brushed against my cheek lightly. I smiled shyly and spotted Daryl staring at us causing the smile to fade quickly. If Daryl's looks could kill, Bash would be dead.

"Alright, let's get going everyone. We've got at least 130 miles till we hit Fort Benning." Rick informed us as we all started piling into the cars. We were down to just the RV, Jeep, and Daryl's bike. I climbed in the middle seat while Carl and Bash took up the other seats. I shuffled Carl's hair all around on his head, making him stick his tongue out at me. Dog hopped in the very back and hunkered down on the bags.

We drove for a good while in silence, just letting the fading summer air rush in and out of the open windows of the Jeep. Rick and Lori talked in hushed tones and held each other's hand over the console. They were the spitting image of what parents should be. Bash was doodling in a notebook he had packed in his bag, the wind blew his pages around and I caught a glimpse of his drawings, one looked a hell of a lot like me…

"Hey, is that me?" I asked, shoving the page back to get a better look. Bash tried his hardest to keep me from snagging the book out of his hand. "Don't flatter yourself, princess." He shot back at me, smirking. It was me, that's why he refused to let me see it. I scoffed, and rolled my eyes. I spotted a book peeking out of his bag on the floor.

"Go ahead, read it." Bash said, picking it up and handing it to me. I smiled and propped my feet up on the back of the console and examined the book. It was Julius Ceaser. He didn't strike me to be the type of guy that would read a book like this or draw, but then again there was a lot I didn't know about him still. As I read I kept catching him stealing looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" I asked, catching him again. He rolled his eyes and laughed, rubbing the side of his face.

"Nothing, I'm not doing anything." He insisted, "You keep staring at me." I laughed; he smirked and chewed on the top of his pen.

"I'm looking in your general direction, not at you." He pointed out, smirking and returning to his drawing. I let it go and went back to reading his book. Carl had fallen asleep and was leaning on my shoulder. The warm wind was making me drowsy, I closed my eyes for a minute and let the rhythm of the road lull me to sleep.

I awoke to the Jeep suddenly braking and coming to a halt. I'd managed to work my way onto Bash's shoulder while I was asleep, again. I was becoming way too comfortable around him and I didn't know if I like it or not. I'm already so attached to him, and I've only known him for a little over a week and half.

"What the hell?" Rick said, as he put the Jeep in park and cut off the ignition. We all got out and could see a grave yard of cars parked on the highway, the highway we needed to get through. Cars and trucks were packed bumper to bumper, some were rolled on their sides and others were flipped completely over. It was like a scene you'd expect to see in a movie, except it wasn't all for show. It was all to real.

We all walked up past the RV as the others poured out of it. "I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water." Dale said, removing his hat and scratching his head. As I moved closer towards the front of the RV I could tell why Dale was upset. Puffs of white smoke were pouring out of the engine to the RV.

"Problem Dale?" Shane said, as he moved to the front of the RV with a shot gun in hand scanning the area for any danger that might be lurking nearby. "Well yes, now that we are stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of..." Dale started to say, but stopped short when he noticed Daryl peering into the open trunk of one of the cars parked on the highway. He pulled out a value pack of toothpaste. I would have jumped up and down like a five year old, but I decided against it. We were almost out so the fact that we had a value pack was a huge deal.

This place is a goldmine for supplies I thought as I walked along a few of the empty cars peering into the windows. "If we can't find a radiator hose here, we'll never find one." Shane said, as Daryl started to rifle through the back of another car.

"There's all kinds of stuff here." Daryl said, as he pulled out a few bottles of water. Something we desperately needed.

"We could siphon some gas out these cars too." Bash said, leaning against one of the cars with his arms crossed over his chest. It was kind of shocking to see him participating with the group. He usually didn't say to much to anyone, but me. T-Dog nodded in agreement with Bash and headed off to get some gas cans.

"Come on ya'll just look around and see what you can find." Shane instructed as we all dispersed in different directions. I found a few unopened bottles of gaterrade mixed in some camping gear. I carried them back to the front of the RV so we could start a pile of stuff. I'd searched through a couple more cars finding some perishables, but nothing too would help us though.

It felt strange going through all of these peoples cars. Some of the cars still had bodies resting in them. I avoided those, because the sight and smell were awful. I noticed Bash going through the back of a Suburban and walked over to see if he needed any help. He glanced at me as I approached his side.

"Finding anything good?" I asked, as I grabbed a bag and rifled through it. It was mostly full of men's clothing. I grabbed a few things for Daryl, but I don't he'd wear any of it. "Found some decent hunting knives, and couple of boxes of ammo. These people must have been pretty into hunting, which is a bonus for us." Bash said dryly, as we moved onto another car.

"Yellows not really your color." I teased him, when I noticed him holding a yellow dress. He shoved the dress in my direction. "No, it's more your color." He said, handing it to me. It was just a cute little summer dress that some carefree teenage girl probably wore to the lake to impress some guy she liked. I shoved it back in the bag.

"Aren't you going to keep it?" Bash asked, still searching through stuff. I half laughed at his question and shook my head.

"Yeah I'll keep it to impress my hot walker boyfriend." I shot at him sarcastically, rolling my eyes. He made a face and chuckled at my reaction. He picked up a bag camping gear and turned to walk it back towards the RV, when he paused by my ear. "You don't need a dress to impress anyone." He whispered to me before walking away. Did he just... Was he just flirting with me? What the hell is happening. I shook the feeling off and tried to think about anything other than him.

I'd walked further down the road to check out a few more cars when I heard Glenn and Shane laughing and yelling, I turned back to see that they had found a ton of water. I laughed as Shane let the water douse his entire head. There wasn't much in the Nissan or Ford id just inspected, so I walked even further just past a tractor trailer when I felt someone grab my arm and yank me in front of it suddenly. It was Bash.

I slammed my elbow into his chest as I struggled to turn around to face him. He had his hand clamped over my mouth and kept mouthing for me to be quiet. I nodded my head, agreeing that I would as he motioned for me to look around the side of the tractor trailer. I shakily took a step and peeked around the corner to see walkers shuffling eerily down the aisles of cars on the highway, nearly fifty or sixty of them. It was like a swarm of bees coming at us. I turned back towards Bash with my eyes wide open with fear. He grabbed my hand a pulled me across the highway, "Get under the cars." He whispered as we both got to the ground and crawled underneath one of the cars.

Where's Daryl? I whipped my head in every direction, but couldn't find him. We could however see Lori and Carol and Rick and the kids underneath cars as well. Bash laid his hand on my back as I covered my hand over my mouth to stay quiet. The walkers were getting closer, you could hear them snarling and hissing as the scuffled there feet across the pavement. The closer they all got the faster my heart beat in my chest. Bash moved his arm up my back and pulled me closer towards him as a walker started to come past the one side of the car we were under. It paused and stood there unmoving for a few moments. I buried my face in his shoulder as he tightened his grip on me again. "It's okay." He whispered, moving his thumb up and down on my arm. I closed my eyes and focused on him holding me. That only made me more nervous so I opened my eyes again and could see even more of the walkers flowing by.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for all of the reviews guys! So happy you are enjoying the story Savanah and Zombiiegirl! :) **

**Chapter 13**

**Riley's Point of View**

My heart was beating a thousand times per minute. It was like the hummingbirds that used to hang around the trailer we lived in. Their wings flapped so fast it generated a buzzing sound almost like a bee. That's what I imagine my hearts doing at this very moment. Bash tightened his grip on my side again as the walkers moaned and groaned by us.

I could see their feet and ankles dragging across the hot asphalt through blurry eyes. I whimpered after I'd adjusted my leg on the black top scraping it, causing Bash to look at me. If they heard any of us make a sound we'd all be dead. I felt my body trembling as Bash slid his arm up and placed his hand over my mouth and held my other hand.

We've never been surrounded by this many walkers before. The night they invaded our camp the group of walkers had been half this size. Bash's hands were rough on my cheeks, but I felt safer with him somehow. The way he was staring back at me told me he'd protect me, which was a little weird if I am being honest. Right now though, I'm not going to complain.

As the herd thinned out and the walkers continued down the highway, I felt myself start to breathe just a little bit easier. We'd been under the cars for a good half hour, waiting for them all to pass through. Bash had removed his hand from my mouth resting it on my back, but was still holding my other hand.

We glanced around to see Sophia starting to inch her way out from under the car she'd been hiding under. The coast should be clear by now I would think. She was half way out from under the car when we heard her let out a faint scream; a straggling walker must have seen her because he was now on the ground eye level with her.

I watched as Rick inched his way out from under the truck he'd been hiding under to go after her, "Sophia!" I whispered under my breath knowing she couldn't hear me. There was nothing else I could do, and I hated it. Bash started to roll out from under the car and pulled my hand to help me up. I leaned into his chest for moment when I finally got to my feet. Then we followed the others to the edge of the highway that Rick and Sophia had run down moments ago.

"Lori those monsters are after my baby!" Carol cried out as she leaned into the guard rail. Lori wrapped her arms around her trying to comfort her and keep her quiet as much as possible. There's no telling how far ahead the walkers had made it up the highway.

I whipped my head around looking for my brother, he wasn't with the others. I wanted to call out for him, but doing so might draw the walkers back. I felt the panic in my chest start to wash over me again.

Dammit, where the hell is he? I ran my hands through my hair and felt the tears as they slid down my cheeks. My mind was racing when I finally caught a glimpse of Daryl and T-Dog walking up between a few cars. I took off in a full run after them, slamming into Daryl. He wrapped his free arm around me.

"Don't be so happy to see me." He huffed out, helping T-Dog along. I rolled my eyes, and hugged him.

"I thought something happened to you!" I said, slamming my hands into his chest. T-Dog was bleeding pretty badly from his forearm. I was so relieved that Daryl was alright though. If I lost him too I don't know what I would do. He's the only family I have left now.

Daryl handed T-Dog off to Lori then took off through the woods with Shane, Glenn and Bash to go after Rick and Sophia. I held Carols hand as we waited by the edge of the road for the others to come back with Sophia.

"They'll find her." I whispered as Carol leaned on my shoulder and cried quietly. Her little girl was out there in the woods running from walkers and there was nothing she could do to help her. I wanted to go help them find her, but knowing me I'd end up lost too. Sophia couldn't have gone far, walkers don't move that fast. Rick had to have caught up with her by now. I kept holding onto Carol and waited, as the hours passed my heart sunk into my stomach, something is wrong.

Carl and I were sitting on the dropped tailgate of a pickup truck waiting for the others to come back. Carol had retreated to the RV to cry in silence. I rustled the top of Carl's hair and gave him a weak smile, when Shane, Bash and Glenn appeared in the tree line, without Sophia, Rick or Daryl. I hopped off the truck and met them as the climbed over the guard rail back onto the highway. Shane said nothing and took off to find Carol.

"Where is she?" I asked, my voice cracking towards the end. Glenn headed off to get a bottle of water, while Bash wiped the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hand. Glenn tossed Bash a bottle of water and I waited for them to answer me.

"We didn't find her." Bash said, after taking a sip of the water. I shook my head not ready to believe that she was just gone that quickly.

"Rick said he told her to wait by the creek until he could draw the walkers away from her, but when he went back for her she was gone." Glenn said, readjusting the cap on his head.

"He told her how to get back to the highway, but if she's scared who knows what she remembered. The girl could be anywhere or dead by now." Bash said, as I shot him a look hinting for him to choose his words wisely. He made a face back at me then lowered his head.

"The girls name is Sophia, which you would know if you crawled out of your shell every once and a while and talked to people." I snapped, storming off down the highway. When I was thirteen, Merle and Daryl had promised to take me night fishing for weeks. They were off on some hair brained adventure stealing copper from one of the plants near our trailer to get it and sell for some extra cash.

I'd decided I wasn't going to wait for them to take me fishing anymore, so I packed up my gear and set out of the trailer into the woods in the middle of the night. There was a place not too far from where we lived called Trout Pound. It was called Trout Pond, but it was really a river. I'd gotten turned around in the woods on my way back and got lost rather quickly. I spent two nights in the woods before I came across a main road and found my way back home. If me being the directional idiot that I am can find my way back home, I have a little faith that Sophia could manage to make her way back to the highway.

After I'd collected my thoughts I rejoined the group by the RV and followed Shane's orders. He instructed us to keep searching the cars for anything useful and that's what we did. I was going through a little Honda Civic when Bash plopped himself down in the driver's seat. I glared at him for a second and continued going through the glove box. I pulled out an iPod and checked to see if it still had some battery; it didn't resulting in my tossing it back in the glove box.

"Are you pissed at me or something?" Bash asked after a moment of silence had passed. I got out of the car and moved onto the next one, actually finding some food in the trunk. Bash followed me to the trunk and helped pull stuff out.

"For the record, I have talked to other people in your little group. Like Glenn and your brother." He spoke, as I tried to ignore him. I don't even know why I didn't want to talk to him; I just didn't after he said Sophia could be dead already. How insensitive could he be?

"How painful for them." I shot back at him, "I'm sorry." I said, clearing my throat. I looked at him as he watched me with a smirk on his face.

"What did you and my brother talk about?" I asked, turning to face him. This should be good I thought. I remembered seeing Daryl and Bash near the bike earlier today. Bash bit his lip and thought it over. Then he laughed and looked at me.

"He pretty much gave me the protective big brother speech. Basically, if I touch you he'll murder me type thing. Although I've never let that stop me before..." Bash said smirking slightly for a moment as he stuffed a few boxes of cereal into a box I had food in on the ground. I grinned the entire time he was turned the other way, like a complete idiot. I can't tell if he's flirting with me or just being an ass and saying what he thinks I would want to hear...

"He said that to you? I'm going to murder him." I asked, mumbling the last part under my breath. It is official there will be one less Dixon around by the end of the day. How much more embarrassing could Daryl be, seriously. He always does this anytime I'm around a guy for a long period of time he scares them off, even when they're just friends like Bash.

"Don't sweat it." He said, sensing my embarrassment or noticing how red my cheeks had surely gotten. I gave him a tight smile and heard Shane yelling at Carol. I turned around to see him sulking off towards Dale with a black bag. What the hell was that about?

"Check it out." Bash said, as he pulled a crossbow out of the bed of a pickup truck.

"Great two idiots in camp with crossbows, just what we need." I teased, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Bash rolled his eyes and set the arrow in the bow and inspected it, pleased with his new weapon. I wonder if he's ever shot one before.

"Have you ever shot one before?" He asked me, as I walked over to take a look at it and go through the truck. I nodded my head no, and laughed as he handed it to me. It was heavy, and way too hard for me to pull the string back into place. I tried and ended up pinching my finger, Bash laughed as I handed it back to him. I smacked him playfully on the shoulder, and then peered into the bed of the truck. Bash kept his eyes on me and I glanced at him, realizing his eye were the deepest brown I'd ever seen.

"Look, I shouldn't have said what I said earlier. We'll find her…Sophia." Bash said, before he walked off towards the RV. I finished ransacking the truck and headed back to the RV as well. The sun was already setting for the day and the air was cooling down. Night fall was upon us soon.

As I approached the RV I saw Rick and Daryl emerging from the woods, Carol ran to meet them, but her hope quickly faded when she saw Sophia was not with them. "You didn't find her!" Carol cried out, as she covered her hand over her mouth.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up at first light." Rick said, as him and Daryl climbed over the guard rails.

"You can't leave my baby out there in the dark, all on her own." Carol said, panic settling in.

"I can't track her in the dark. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people getting lost." Daryl said, as he fastened his crossbow on his shoulder. Carol shook her head in disbelief and looked at us all, tears streaming down her face.

"She's twelve years old! She can't be out there on her own! You didn't find anything?" Carol pleaded, I was ready to take a gun or a knife and go back out into the woods myself. But Daryl was right, for once in his life. We'd never find her in the dark. We don't know the area and it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"You have to listen to me and try not to panic just yet; we tracked her for a while. But, we need to make this an organized effort." Rick said, glancing at everyone trying to get them all on board. "Daryl knows the woods better than anyone; I've asked him to oversee this." Rick said, holding Carols hand as he guided her to sit down on the guard rail.

"I can track too." Bash said, stepping forward so Carol could see him.

"Is that blood?" Carol asked, forcing me to notice that both Rick and Daryl's clothes were covered in dried mud and blood. They both were covered in sweat and looked like they were about to drop over.

"We took down a walker." Rick said, as if that would give her any form of relief.

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia." Rick said, crouching down beside Carol.

"How can you know that?" Andrea said, as she walked past me towards the front of the group.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, and made sure." Daryl said, as I placed my hand on Carl's shoulder. He was crying and leaning into my side. Sophia was the only other child his age in our group now.

"How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?" Carol spat out between sobs. She was blaming Rick for leaving her...

"Walkers were after us, I had to draw them away from us. I had no choice. I did what I thought was best. I just wanted to keep her safe." Rick said, desperately trying to hold his composure together. Carol sobbed into Loris shoulder and said nothing. Rick looked at us all before walking off down the highway.

This is going to be one of the longest nights to get through, for everyone…


	14. Chapter 14

**Loving all the support and comments I am getting from this story! Please keep reviewing! ;) Hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Big things happen! Zombiiegirl I think you'll be quite pleased with this chapter or at least I hope so!**

**Enjoy**

**Chapter 14**

**Riley's Point of View**

I've been lying on the floor of the RV for two hours trying to fall asleep, but it just isn't happening. I keep thinking about Sophia. How scared she must be out there on her own. I keep thinking about Merle too. He was Daryl's best friend pretty much and now that he's gone I've noticed how much Daryl has changed. It's always been the two of them, and then me. He's hardly spoken to me since the night the walkers invaded our camp. Part of me thinks he still blames me for his death in some twisted way.

I rolled on my side and tried to drown out Glenn's snoring. The sound was enough to steer ships in from the fog. That's it, I can't take it anymore. I quietly got to my feet and slipped out of the RV, careful not to wake anyone up. As I latched the door shut I felt how cool the night air had become. I'm glad I changed into a pair of jeans again now. The wind blew lightly rustling the leaves in the trees beyond the highway.

The sky was completely clear tonight as I looked up at all the twinkling stars. I walked down the highway a little ways listening and hoping to hear something, anything. Sophia couldn't have gotten very far, or at least I am hoping she didn't. We have to find her; I want to believe that we will find her. I wanted to believe they'd bring Merle back too, I guess it's true what they say hope breeds eternal misery. As I was walking back up the highway towards the RV I heard something move behind me. I felt that familiar pang of fear in my chest as I froze in my tracks. Walkers.

I cautiously spun on my heels and tried to look into the weary night. As my eyes adjusted I realized there was nothing there. I let out a breath and turned to head back into the RV and slammed right into something or rather someone. I let out a shriek, as it told me to be quiet. Walkers don't talk. People do. As I stopped screaming I realized it wasn't a walker it was worse, Bash.

"You asshole!" I hissed, as I slammed my hands into his chest.

"Calm down. It's just me, god. You're going to have everyone awake." He whispered back to me, as I tried to control my anger towards him in this very moment. My heart was pounding in my ears as I hit him in the shoulder again. He grabbed his arm like I'd really done some damage and even through the darkness I could tell he was smirking.

"What is your problem? You scared me to death! What are you even doing out here?" I breathed out after a second. I ran my hand through my hair and let out a tiny laugh.

"I think I could ask you the same question?" He quipped back, leaning against one of the trucks next to me. He slipped

"I couldn't sleep, and Glenn was snoring. I just wanted to walk the highway a little and see if maybe she was out here calling out or something." I said, as his arm brushed against mine lightly. I felt tiny sparks of electricity run through my arm when he did. Why does he make me act so weird?

"I was in the woods with Dog for a while; I didn't hear or see anything." Bash said, as he crossed his arms over his chest. The wind blew again and sent a shiver down my spine, so I hugged myself trying to get the chill to go away.

"Here," Bash said, as he reached into the bed of the truck we were leaning against and pulled out his jacket. He opened it up and helped me put it on. I snuggled down into it, taking in his familiar scent. His jacket was huge on me, but I didn't mind. Bash walked around and climbed into the bed of the truck and sat down. I guess this is where he was going to crash for the remainder of the night. I've slept in the bed of a truck before it's not comfortable at all.

"There's plenty of room in the RV. Okay, well there's not plenty of room, but you can sleep in there if you want." I said, shyly walking towards the back of the truck. He nodded his head through the darkness and I decided to go back to sleep, or at least try too. I might end up killing Glenn if he continues to snore like a buzz saw. As I was turning to head back towards the RV I heard Bash clear his throat.

"Do you want to keep watch with me for a little bit? See if we hear anything?" He asked innocently, as I turned back around to face him. "Sure." I replied, as he gave me a hand up into the bed of the truck. I sat down next to him and tucked my knees under my chin and listened to the breeze rustling the tree tops. I could feel his eyes on me, making me really nervous to be out here alone with him. I wanted to know more about him, but he seemed so closed off, so unwilling to talk about his past and his family.

"Are you and your brother close?" Bash asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over us. I used to think I was close with Daryl, more so than Merle. Nowadays, I'm not sure about anything. Bash picked apart a piece of plastic he'd been twirling in his fingers and looked at me.

"We used to be. I think he blames me for my other brother Merle getting left behind. Daryl was out hunting when you all came back into camp and I found out. Maybe I should have made Rick take me back to him right then and there, maybe he'd still be alive." I said, letting the words pour out as I felt the stinging in my eyes. I tried to suck it up, not wanting him to see me this vulnerable. We don't know each other and here I am about to have a break down in front of him.

"I think you did what you thought was right at the time. Even if you had gone after him, there's no telling if it would have made a difference. It's not your fault, Riley." Bash said, as the tears rushed down my cheeks. Maybe I am the one blaming myself for not going after him… I felt Bash touch my cheek and realized he was wiping a tear away. He let his hand fall and stared into the darkness again. I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat, and before I even knew what was happening my head was lying on his shoulder.

I awoke in the morning to the sound of the tailgate to the truck we were in getting slammed shut; I jumped up slightly, having a mini heart attack. Daryl was staring back at me; he shook his head and walked off. "I guess that's our cue to get up." Bash said, as he sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I guess so." I replied, as he stared at me for a few minutes, well he stared at your hands. Apparently we must have held hands through the night. I let go first and waited for him to let go of mine.

Everyone was gathered around the RV getting supplies together so we could set out to look for Sophia again today. Bash and I joined the others in the group and I walked over towards Daryl, he shot me a look that made me recoil away from him slightly. "What is your problem?" I whispered, as I watched him check his crossbow over.

"I don't want you hanging around him, alright? All he's looking for is a piece of ass to keep him entertained for a while before he gets bored and moves on." He scoffed, slinging his bow over his shoulder and stalked off towards Rick, I followed after him ready to chew him out over being an ass to Bash the other morning.

"Everyone takes a weapon." Rick said, as he handed out knives to all of us. I placed mine inside the side of my boot; it was the safest place to keep it on me. If I hooked it to my belt it would probably fall off knowing me.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need! What about the guns?" Andrea pouted, glaring at Rick and Shane. She's pissed because Dale took her hand gun from her, fearing she would "opt" herself out after losing Amy and staying behind to be blown to hell at the CDC. If she wanted to kill herself she would have done it by now. There's plenty of other ways to get the job done.

"We've been over this already. Rick, Daryl, and I are all carrying. We can't have people firing off rounds every time a damn tree rustles." Shane said, as he leaned into the side of the RV next to Bash.

"It's not the trees I am worried about." Andrea said sarcastically, giving Rick and Shane dirty looks.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, and a herd happens to be passing by like yesterday. Then it's game over for all of us." Bash said, crossing his arms over his chest. He'd changed into a dark green t-shirt that showed just how muscular his arms really were. I looked away when he caught me staring at him.

"The idea is to take the creek about 5 miles, and turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark. Stay quiet, stay sharp. Spread out but always stay in the sight of someone else." Daryl said, as we all started to trek into the woods. I climbed over the guard rail and followed Daryl into the overgrown woods.

I listened to the rhythmic sound of everyone's shoes and boots crunching the sticks and leaves beneath their feet as we walked through the woods. Every so often we would branch out from one another to cover more ground, but we hadn't seen any sign of Sophia. It's almost like she vanished into thin air. The heat from the sun radiated down through the whipping trees as I started to fall behind the others. I stopped for a minute to catch my breath and sat down on a log, and dug through my bag for my inhaler.

I was coughing lightly when he knelt down beside me; I glanced up to see Bash looking back at me. He took the bag and found my inhaler at the bottom and handed it to me. After I sucked down what was left in the inhaler I shook it to judge how much was left. It was empty. Bash must have seen my worried look because he touched my hand causing me to look at him.

"We'll get you more. Don't worry about it." He reassured me as he pulled me to my feet, we walked to catch up with the others hand in hand, and every so often I would glance down at out intertwined fingers and wonder why he was holding my hand. We've known each other over a month now and we've talked a lot, about nothing in particular.

"Why are you so nice to me?" I whispered, causing him to stop and look at me. His hair was matted down from sweat and he looked worn out and exhausted much like me.

"Would you rather I be an ass to you?" He quipped back, staring directly at me. I should have just kept my mouth shut and enjoyed him being close to me, but no I had to open my big mouth. I don't even know if I like him, but I know that there's something happening between us. I nodded my head no, and lifted my foot to flip over a rock before looking up at him again.

Bash stepped closer towards me, as I stared back at him with doe eyes. I'm an idiot, simple as that. Bash brushed some of my hair behind my ear and leaned into me, like he was going to kiss me. "What are you doing?" I whispered, feeling my heart doing somersaults inside my chest. He smirked and backed away a little and lowered his head, "I thought you wanted me too." He whispered back, confusion and hurt evident in his voice.

"I didn't… I mean… I don't know how." I admitted, averting my eyes from his. I looked up when he started to chuckle softly; he placed his hand on my side and squeezed lightly, as we leaned our foreheads together. "You're kidding me right?" He said, as he nudged his nose against mine. He let out a breathy laugh when I nodded my head no again. I felt his hand caress the side of my cheek and stepped into him more.

"I might be bad at it." I whispered anxiously as he continued to hold me close to him. "That's not possible." He said, before I felt his lips against my cheek, he slowly worked his way to my lips. In that instant I felt my entire body relax, and the world didn't seem so screwed up. I stood on my tiptoes to reach him, and felt his hand slide down to my hip. He brushed his thumb across my cheek and pulled away to look at me. He clenched his jaw shut, and let go of me. "We should catch up with the others." He said, I agreed and walked beside him in silence. He seemed almost angry with me, is he regretting kissing me already?

"Do you hear that?" I asked, after we'd started to catch up to the others. Off in the distance we could hear bells ringing. Everyone froze and listened, we heard the bells again. It was almost like someone was ringing them. We all broke into a run through the woods, listening and trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. I tried my best not to wind myself, fearing I'd bring on an asthma attack. We reached the crest of the woods and were staring straight at grave yard. Tombstones lined the hill we were descending. There was a white little church just off in the distance. I picked up the pace as Carl grabbed my hand.

"She could be in there!" He said, with such hope in his eyes. We made it to the front of the church and the men took the lead, heading inside in a formation. I rested my hand on the wrought iron railing to the church steps and listened as the took down walkers that were inside. She's not here, she's not here… Rick, Shane, Bash and Daryl came rushing out of the church when the bells went off again. I looked around hoping to see another building off in the distance but there was nothing. The chiming continued as we ran around the back of the church to see a loud speaker attached to the side of the fading building.

"It's on a damn timer." Bash said, as he popped the box open to shut the bells off. He pulled out his pocket knife and snapped the cords over the blade. It was a dead end. We've been searching for hours and just when I think we're about to catch a break we don't. I walked around to the front of the building and sat down next to Carl on the cement steps.

Carl got up and ran off to go find Lori while everyone took turns speaking there mind inside the church. I had no intentions of going inside and asking god to help us find Sophia. If there even is a higher power up there he wouldn't have done any of this to anyone. Maybe Jenner was right, we all should have just opted out. It would be easier than dealing with all the pain we are dealing with now.

Carl ran back over towards me and stopped, "We're going to keep looking around here, and will you come with us." He asked, pulling on my arm to get me up. "Of course I'll come." I said, as we met up with Lori and Rick and the others.

"I'm going with Carl." I told Daryl as I walked past him to pick up my bag off the ground. I hardly looked at Daryl and walked over by Carl and Rick, as our group broke apart I noticed Bash was hanging around. He was coming with us, apparently. When he kissed me earlier I finally felt what it was like, and understood what all the girls in high school gushed about. But, in the back of my mind I'm wondering if Daryl is right. Is he just looking for some girl to make him feel alive for five seconds?

I shook the thoughts about him away as we trekked through the woods some more, we hadn't seen hide or hair of anything in at least an hour. Then we heard trees rustling and sticks snapping up ahead of us. Rick and Shane moved slowly, carefully taking each step as they pushed forward. I made Carl get behind me and felt Bash touch my arm. He glanced at me and slid his hand into mine. As we pushed past some leaves and high grass we saw what the noise had been, deer, well a buck to be exact was standing in the small clearing in front of us.

Rick and Shane lowered their weapons as we inched forward to get a better look at the deer. It had beautiful velvety brown fur and was stout. I looked at Bash and smiled as Carl pulled me forward with him. Bash let go of my hand reluctantly, and stood back and watched as we crept closer towards the deer. Carl was grinning from ear to ear as we got within a few feet from it. The deer looked at us and then continued eating. I stepped in front of Carl slightly trying to avoid snapping a stick.

I heard the shots, but didn't realize what was happening until it was over. One minute I was standing up the next minute the trees and sky were blurring by as I made my way to the ground. I heard yelling and felt a burning sensation in my side, and gasped for air to reach my lungs. I turned my head to the side as my vision blackened and saw Rick hovering over Carl screaming, then Shane and Bash looking at me. I looked up at the sky as the pain increased tremendously and watched as the bright blue sky faded to nothing but darkness. I guess I was right when I said there'd be one less Dixon around soon….


	15. Chapter 15

**Since poor Riley is unconscious at the moment Bash is going to take over the story for a while. ;)I enjoyed writing this chapter, but it was hard getting into a guys perspective so hopefully it's alright. Bash is hurt and scared much throughout this chapter! Let's hope Riley pulls through so they can talk about that kiss!?**

**Thank you for the reviews guys! They make my day! ZombiieGirl can't wait to hear what you think of this one! :)**

**Chapter 15**

**Sebastian's Point of View**

I've come to the conclusion that our lives are like the countdown clock Jenner had on the wall at the CDC before it blew up that is. Our lives are counted down second by second, minute by minute. It takes one second to melt an ice cube in the microwave. It takes one second for lightning to strike through the sky. It takes one second for you to lock eyes with a random stranger and another to look away. It takes one second to kiss someone. It also takes one second for a bullet to reach its target after the trigger is pulled and it flies out of the chamber.

"Riley! Riley! Wake up!" I said, kneeling down beside her motionless body lying on the ground. Even through her black shirt I could tell she was bleeding. It turned the black cottony fabric an even darker shade and it was wet and warm.

What the actual hell just happened? I looked around to see Shane, or as I like to call him rent a cop yelling at some older heavy set man that appeared out of nowhere. Rick was cradling Carl in his arms but Carl was crying. From where I am it looks like the second bullet nicked Carols side. It didn't go through him like it did Riley.

"I didn't see them! I swear I didn't see them! We have to get them back to the house. Hershel can help em." The older man with the rifle in his hand said as he placed his hand on his head, completely panicking. I grabbed Riley's arm and placed it around my neck and lifted her off the ground effortlessly. Her body was completely limp; I could hardly feel her breathing, if she was even breathing at all. All I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

Rick, Shane and I followed the idiot that shot them through the woods. We moved as fast as possible, but it was difficult trying to running carrying someone who'd just been shot. I kept putting one foot in front of the other though trying like hell to get where we were heading.

"How far?" Rick yelled, as Shane yanked the man alongside him. We came to a crest in the hill and continued down it into a field of tall grass. As we got closer, a home came into view. It was broken down white little farm house, sitting out here in the middle of nowhere.

Rick and I jogged through some wire gates and headed towards the front porch and were greeted by a flock of people. I readjusted my grip on Riley and felt her hand flicker on my shoulder. "Were they bit?" The older white haired man asked, as we approached the front porch.

"Shot! By one of your men!" I said, as tried to decipher if she was still breathing or not. "By Otis?" Some curly haired lady hollered from the back of the group. They need to quit dicking around and help them. She's not going to last much longer.

"Are you Hershel? Can you help them?" Rick asked, as the white haired man descended the stairs of the porch and walked in my direction. He nodded his head and motioned for us to follow him into the home. Carl was screaming out in pain, I'd give anything just hear Riley scream or crying or anything at all. She's just silent.

"Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie, painkillers, coagulates, grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol." Hershel ordered as he led us through the front door of their home. He led us down a narrow hallway and into one of the bedrooms. Hershel ripped the quilt off the bed and instructed us to lay Carl and Riley down, Riley on the right side and Carl on the left. I gently placed her on the cool cream colored sheets and stared at her face. Her lips were turning a bluish color and her face was pale and covered in sweat. I couldn't move, or didn't want to move I don't really know which.

I've only really known her a month, but I can't help feeling so attached to her already so willing to do anything to protect her. "Pillow case." Hershel instructed as he slightly pulled me out of the way. I reached down and yanked the pillow out of the pillow case and tossed the pillow behind me on the ground.

"Is she alive?" I could hardly get the words out.

"Fold the pillow case, put pressure on the wound." Hershel said, as he lifted the hem of Riley's t shirt up over her stopping at her lace peach colored bra, the blood was everywhere. I placed the pillow pad on the wound and applied pressure. As I looked down at her I tried to avoid looking at her bra, it felt wrong. That's when I noticed all the tiny scars across her sides and her rib cages, tiny whitish color scars and a few circles from being burnt with a cigarette. I've had my fair share smoking over the years on and off, I know what one looks like. I knew she had a bad home situation I just never knew it was that bad…

Hershel placed a stethoscope in his ears and leaned down to check Riley for a heartbeat. One of the other girls was tending to Rick and Carl on the other side of the bed. As I looked down my hands were covered in her blood, the white pillow case was no longer white.

"I've got a heartbeat. It's faint, but it's there." Hershel said, as he begins to examine the bullet wound on her side. The curly haired woman pulled me back away from her so Hershel had room to work. He instructed what I am assuming to be his daughter Maggie to get an IV started on her. I crept back into a corner of the room and watched them hurry about gathering supplies.

"What are your names?" Hershel asked over his shoulder. "Rick, I'm Rick. This is my boy Carl. That's the sister of another man in our group. Her name's Riley, and that's Sebastian." Rick said, as he held onto Carl's hand. They must have given Carl something to make him go to sleep, because he was no longer crying as the curly haired lady stitched the gash in his side up.

"You all need to give us some room. We'll do everything we can to help them." Hershel said, as headed for the door. I can't watch this anymore, I can't. I slammed the screen door shut on my way onto the front porch and paced for moment trying to collect my thoughts. I noticed my hands were red with blood and wiped them on my jeans, only looking down to realize my shirt was soaked in blood as well. Her blood.

I placed my hands on the railing to the porch and took a few deep breathes to try and calm down. Adrenaline and anger were the only things coursing through my veins right now. I shakily took a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and lighted one, letting the smoke rush deep into my lungs. I don't even know why I started smoking; I just picked them up one day and never put them down.

As I blew the smoke out of my nose I rested against the railing and stared at the smoke coming off the tip of the cigarette wafting into the summer air. I remember seeing Riley on more than one occasion the short few months we'd been in high school together. One moment I remember particularly.

_I'd actually decided, well more like managed to drag myself to school that Monday. The weekend had been packed full of party after party. I was pretty hung over from the night before when I walked through the parking lot. I'd heard a truck go by that needed an exhaust tune up. I was leaning against my car fiddling with my phone when I saw a girl, slowly walking to the truck with her head down. Her golden blonde hair covering her face until the wind blew it away. Her shoulders slumped and her feet drug the ground, like she dreaded leaving school. _

_A man who I always assumed was her father got out of the car to open the door, which was nice I thought. Most girls are daddy's girls after all. Thankfully I'd never had a sister. Then I'd have to worry about all these guys pawing all over her. The blonde haired girl stopped when she came to the door and looked pissed off and scared all in the same. Her dad was yelling at her, and then I watched as he grabbed her and pushed her into the side of the truck, grasping the sides of her arms to hold her in place. No one else saw any of this happening, or they did and chose to ignore it. I felt my blood begin to boil at the sight of the man that had grabbed her, but I did nothing but watch from a distance. _

_I watched her reach into her bag and pull out money and hand it to her dad forcefully. He let go of her arms after giving her a final shove into the truck again, snatching the cash out of her hand and hopping in the truck. He sped off while she stood there holding her arm where he'd touched her, until a horn honked and she took off. _

I remember that day clearly now. It had been her dad and he'd done more than just shove her around and grabs her, she has the damn scars to prove it. Still to this day I don't know why I never intervened or went after her. I should have helped her. I could have helped her. Now I can't help her at all.

"You alright?" Shane said, as I noticed him standing in front of me as Rick came out onto the porch. Shane was pouring a bottle of water over my hands washing the blood away. I noticed the guy that had shot Riley standing on the ground. Before I knew it I was going at him. He coward away, while Shane and Rick pushed my back onto the porch.

"How could you not have seen them? They don't look anything like a fucking deer!" I growled. I wanted to hit him or something else. Shane pushed me back more, "You need to calm down! Right now!" He demanded. I debated knocking him on his ass, and decided against it. Yeah I'll calm down alright. I shoved past Shane and followed Rick back into the house.

We worked our way back into the room and looked at Hershel. He had a grim look on his face. The kind of face you see when you find out your grandparents died or someone was in an accident. He cleared his throat as I zoned out on Riley lying there in the bed. "Rick, your son was grazed by the bullet. I gave him some stitches and pain killers, he'll be unconscious for a while, but he'll be alright. Her on the other hand, I fear the worst." Hershel spoke, as my heart sunk into my stomach.

"She's lost a lot of blood. Do you know her blood type?" Hershel asked, looking at us all. Blood type, I saw that somewhere earlier. When I handed her the inhaler earlier today the label on the side said her blood type.

"It's B positive. Same is me." I said, without thinking.

"How fortunate because she's going to need a blood transfusion." Hershel said, while fiddling with a metal instrument in his hand. He was fishing around with the tool trying to dig the bullet out of her. That's when I heard her let out a scream. The more he fished around with the tool the more she cried out and screamed. Hershel instructed Rick to hold her down.

"She needs blood." Maggie said, as the curly haired woman held a needle to my arm. I held it out and let her jam the needle into my arm. I said earlier I'd give anything to her scream just to know she was alive, now I'd give anything just to take that pain away from her.

I knew I shouldn't have stayed with these people. If I had done what I wanted to do and left I wouldn't have to stand her and watch this or feel everything I'm feeling. I told myself not to let them in, not to get to know them. We all die in the end. But, I let her get to me. Maybe it was the way she didn't take shit from anyone, like when she confronted me about taking Shane's gun or how despite everything that's happened she could still smile sometimes. I found myself liking when she smiled, I found myself liking her.

Riley continued to scream out in agony as Hershel finally removed a piece of the bullet. Her breathing was rapid and she was turning her head to the side to look at me. Tears soaked her face as she tried to speak, but the pain was killing her. "Daryl." I heard her whisper. She wanted her brother. He had no idea what was happening right now.

I nodded my head telling her that I would get him, but her eyes slowly drifted close and she lied there perfectly still. "What's wrong with her." I asked, agitated. "She passed out." Hershel replied, as he dropped a shred of the bullet into a metal pan.

"One down, five more to go." Hershel said, letting out a breath. She's never going to survive this…


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter get's slightly AU'ish. But things will be right back on track in the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! :)**

**Chapter 16**

**Sebastian's Point of View**

We've only been here maybe two or three hours, but it seems longer. I've already given Riley two small blood transfusions and she just keeps losing more. I'm sitting in chair beside her bed watching the red liquid leave my arm and run through tube leading to hers. I'd learned that the curly haired woman's name was Patricia; she walked over towards me and removed the needle from my arm.

"Her pressures stable, for now." Hershel said; as he removed the blood pressure cuff from her other arm. He was an old man, but he still looked like he had some life left in him. He's probably in his mid-sixties. 

"Her brother needs to be here. He doesn't even know what's going on right now. I have to go find him, and bring him back here." I said, as I pushed myself to my feet. I felt dizzy when I got to my feet and had to force myself to walk towards the foot of the bed.

"You can't do that son." Hershel said, as he rose to his feet.

"It's her brother! He needs to know. His sister is lying here shot!" I practically yelled back at him, am I the only one who thinks this is a bad situation. She could die and the family she has left is miles away searching for lost girl, who let's be honest is probably dead already. I have to go after Daryl, she asked me to bring him here. He needs to know.

"Yes, but she's going to need more blood. He can't go within fifty feet of this bed." Hershel said, glancing at Rick who was leaning against the far wall. Rick nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder as he led me out of the bedroom into the tiny family outside the door. I slumped down in one of the chairs and was stared down by the moron that shot Riley and Carl and a brunette girl named Maggie.

They looked at us hopeful, as Rick filled them in. I buried my face in my hands and took a few deep breaths which only made me feel light headed even more. I can't remember the last time any of us have eaten a real meal. Rick knelt down beside me on the ground and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I understand you're upset. My wife Lori doesn't know the condition Carl is in either. But you physically can't leave to go after anyone. Riley needs you here. I can tell you care a great deal about her, am I right?" Rick said, as I shrugged my shoulder out of his hand. Was it that obvious that I liked her? I guess it was. I nodded my head, and he patted my knee before standing back up. Before Rick could say anything else the door to the bedroom creaked open and Hershel came out, as he wiped the blood off his hands with a rag.

"She's out of danger for the moment. But I need to remove the rest of those remaining fragments." Hershel said, as I got to my feet again. "How are you going to do that? You saw how she was before?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I know and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others. And there's more. Her stomach is distended; her pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels." Hershel said, as I dropped my eyes to the old beaten down wood floors. This guy is just full of great news isn't he?

"I have to open her up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And she can't move while I'm in there, I mean at all. If she reacts the way she did before, I'll sever an artery and she'll be dead in minutes." Hershel continued on, this was all too much to handle. So if he does the surgery she could die and if he doesn't does the surgery she could still die.

"To even try this, I have to put her under. But she won't be able to breathe on her own. Same bad results." Hershel said exasperated. I clenched my jaw shut and bit the inside of my lip.

"You need a respirator? What else?" Otis asked, getting to his feet. I avoided looking at him fearing I might lose my temper again and do what I tried to do earlier.

"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures." Hershel read the items off as if they'd be easy to find. All the hospitals are gone, and I doubt there'd be one within fifty miles of here anyway. We're screwed. Riley is screwed. I stood there and listened to everyone talking until their voices just sort of blurred together.

Shane and Otis decided to try and raid the FEMA shelter that had been set up at the nearby high school around here, to try and find the supplies they needed for Hershel to perform the surgery on Riley. While they talked I headed for the front porch, but was stopped short by Maggie.

"Where are the other's in your group? His wife Lori and her brother Daryl?" Maggie asked me, as she walked out onto the front porch with me. I leaned into the railing again and looked at her for a moment. She had short brown hair and was your typical farmer's daughter.

"They're on the highway; we lost a little girl in our group and we've been searching the woods for her." I explained, as I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I needed something to calm my nerves; Maggie looked at me like she really didn't want me to smoke on her father's property, but kept any thoughts she had about that to herself.

"I'll go after them." Maggie said, as she descended the front porch steps and headed off towards the barn on the far side of their property. I walked back inside to sit with Riley as Shane and Otis left to gather the much needed supplies. As I crept back into the room I noticed her eyes were slightly open for a second, she was so in and out of it right now.

I sat down in the chair beside the bed and watched her for a moment. I could hear the crackle in her breathing and see how bloated her stomach had become. I was resting my hand on the edge of the bed when I felt her fingers touch mine; I glanced up to see her eyes were still open. I sat on the edge of the bed so she could see me better.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay." I said, as I held her hand in mine. Riley coughed and turned her head to the side, making her hair fall in her face. I pushed the sweat soaked hair behind her ear and let my hand linger on her cheek as she turned her head back into my hand and closed her eyes once more, drifting back into unconsciousness. I glanced over and checked on Carl, he didn't seem to be in any pain, he was peacefully sacked out on the bed beside her.

I moved back over to the chair, never letting going of Riley's hand and kept my eyes on her the entire time. I watched to make sure her chest rose and fell indicating that she was still breathing. I felt my eyes start to close and before I knew it I was asleep…

I woke up to the sound of someone yelling outside the bedroom door, which had been closed. I brushed the sleep out of my eyes and glanced at the window, it was dark out already. "How the hell does something like this happen? Huh?" I heard that familiar southern voice say. Daryl was here. The bedroom door flung open and there stood none other than Daryl Dixon himself.

He shook his head in disbelief at the sight of his little sister lying in the bed unconscious. He slowly walked into the room, and rested his hands on the foot of the bed. "How the hell could you all have let this happen?" Daryl asked, looking from me to Rick who was kneeling down on the ground on Carl's side of the bed.

"Oh wait I know, just like you left my brother up on the building a few weeks ago!" Daryl hollered, his voice rising higher and higher. His eyes landed on me, and then Riley's hand in mine.

"Daryl this was an accident. A terrible accident." Rick said, trying to do his best to calm him down.

"You, you think you can come in here and wrap her around your finger. Get her to do whatever you want. Don't you? This is your entire fault!" Daryl said, forcing me to get to my feet. He wasn't going to blame her getting shot on me.

"I don't know what the fuck you're smoking man, but I didn't do anything to her, but help her! I didn't see you volunteer to go with her earlier either, now did you? I've been here and watched all of this happen, what the hell have you done!" I said, as Daryl walked towards me. I hadn't even noticed Hershel walking into the room until he was standing between Daryl and me alongside Rick.

"That's enough, the both of you! You take this outside, right now!" Hershel demanded as Rick led us both out onto the front porch. I slammed the door behind as I stepped away from Daryl, he looked at me and I looked at him.

"You calm down, both of you. I understand this has been an incredibly stressful situation, a situation that you're just getting to Daryl, but Bash has done everything he can possibly do for Riley, and you should be grateful for that. Rick said keeping his voice even; I noticed that the Jeep that had been on the highway was now parked in the driveway. T-Dog and Glenn and Lori were all here too.

Daryl gave me the one over before he stormed back into the house. I sat down in the wooden rocking chair and played back the last twenty four hours in my mind. I shouldn't have kissed Riley. I can't believe I did that… Rick went back inside to be with Carl and I was alone with all of my thoughts, which was never a good thing. I hated thinking; it always led back to my family. I heard the screen door open again about twenty minutes later and noticed it was Glenn, he handed me a glass of orange juice.

"Maggie asked me to bring this to you." He said, before sitting down in the other chair. Glenn was probably a few years older than Riley and I. He was shorter than me though, which I found funny. I nodded my head in thanks and took a sip of it, feeling the cold liquid reach my stomach.

"So she's in pretty bad shape." Glenn said, as I nodded my head again. I wasn't in the mood to talk, to anyone except maybe Riley if she'd even talk to me after I kissed her. I've never gotten this twisted up over a girl before. I've kissed plenty of them and never had one wreck me like this. Why was she so different?

"I know this is a really bad time to ask a question as stupid as this, but…" Glenn said, as I glanced at him taking another sip of the orange juice. "Spit it out Glenn." I said, setting the glass down on the porch by my bloody boot. Everything on me was covered in her dried blood.

"Right, well. How do you talk to girls?" He asked, causing me to laugh without really thinking. "Are you serious right now, man?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face. He looked at me as serious as he possibly could have. Wow, he really was serious.

"Umm… You just talk to them. I don't know really. I thought I knew, until I met her…" I said, motioning towards the window to the room Riley was in. Glenn nodded his head, and looked at me.

"I uh saw that little kiss you guys had; Daryl did too by the way. I'd watch your back." Glenn said holding back a laugh. I through my head back and shook my head.

"Great, I've dealt with dads not wanting me around their daughters, but never dealt with a Daryl Dixon before." I said, getting to my feet.

"You never should have even looked in her direction man, the minute you did you became the enemy in Daryl's eyes." Glenn said, as we both chuckled. I smoked my last cigarette and talked to Glenn for a few more minutes before heading back into the house. Riley needed more blood and Daryl reluctantly let me give it to her. Keeping his eye's on me the entire time.

Daryl took the chair by Riley, and Rick and Lori were on the other side of the room tending to a sleeping Carl. I sat on the floor in the doorway to the room and picked the chipped paint off the door frame and waited. This was the hardest part, waiting knowing I couldn't do anything to help her more than I already am. It made me think of my brothers, there was nothing I could do when they had gotten bitten.

"Bash, sweetheart. Hershel won't have a house left if you keep picking at that." Lori said, as she glanced at me from inside the room. I stopped picking the paint away and switched to a splinter in the floor by my foot. It's been a good three hours since Shane and Otis took off for the high school. Thirty minutes later we all heard a truck pulling up the gravel road.

We all rushed out onto the front porch to see Shane getting out of the blue ford pickup truck. Otis wasn't with him. Shane looked confused, and disoriented as he handed the bag of supplies off to Hershel. I followed Daryl back in the house with Hershel and the supplies. He instructed us to lift her off the bed and lay her on a metal table he'd pushed into the room.

I lifted the top half of Riley while Daryl lifted the bottom and we both gently placed her on the table and looked at one another as Patricia hustled around the room getting Hershel anything and everything he needed. Hershel made us leave the room, fearing we'd try and kill each other again while he performed her surgery.

We both headed to the kitchen and said nothing to each other for a long time. I sat down at the table and spaced out on the flower patterned table cover. "I appreciate what you did for her." Daryl gruffed out, causing me to look up. I wasn't expecting that at all.

"Its fine," I said, slumping down in the chair.

"You like her don't you?" Daryl asked, as he leaned against the counter and stared at me.

"Yeah, I do." I said, clearing my throat afterwards.

"I don't know you from Adam, and honestly I don't want to get to know you. All I know is if you break her heart I'll break your neck. She don't need some guy waltzing into her life looking for a little action only to run off a few weeks later." Daryl said, as he sat down across from me at the table.

"I don't plan on going anywhere." I stated.

"I can't control Riley any more than I can control the wind, so if she's hell-bent on spending time with you I can't stop her." Daryl said.

"Look, I get it. I do. I would never hurt her, and I sure as hell wouldn't let anyone else." I replied, thinking how I never helped her that day in the school parking lot. I was stupid for not going to her then. We heard the bedroom door open and out came Hershel. He smiled when he saw us, and patted Daryl on the shoulder. Daryl went in and sat with her pretty much all night. I took a shower and slept in a chair outside the door. The room was crowded with Rick and Lori and Daryl inside.

I felt someone nudging my shoulder forcing me to wake up; I looked up to see Daryl staring at me. Not a pretty sight to wake up to in the morning that's for damn sure. "She's asking for you." Daryl said, before walking off. I got up and headed into the bedroom, glancing at a sleeping Carl as I walked past his side of the bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed, as Riley turned her head to face me slightly. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, "Her fever's gone down." Hershel said, patting me on the shoulder before leaving us alone.

"Hey," she whispered out, I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Hey there." I whispered back, as our hands found each others.

"You look like shit." I joked, trying to make her laugh.

"Thanks." She replied, "So do you."

I watched her for a minute and realized how scared she must have been. I guess I didn't realize how much I did care about her until I thought I'd lost her. "Hey, it's okay." I said, when I noticed she was crying. I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and tell her everything was going to be alright, but I didn't want to move her. So I leaned down and kissed her forehead and crawled into the bed next to her and gently draped my arm over her and let her cry, "We're going to be fine." I whispered, as she leaned her head into mine…


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Riley's Point of View**

I don't really remember a whole lot that happened over the next three days. I was pretty in and out of it for the most part. My body was fighting off getting an infection according to the man named Hershel, but I was doing well. I was sweating horrendously fighting the infection which probably made me smell as terrible as I looked. I didn't care though, for what it's worth I'm alive, and Carl is alive. That's the only thing that matters.

Bash told me that the bullet hitting me first no doubt saved Carl's life. Carl was already on his feet again, giving me the entire queen sized bed to myself. My eye's fluttered open and I blinked away the blurriness and focused on the room I was in. It had flowered wallpaper and light blue drapes hanging over the window centered in front of the bed. Daryl and Bash had both been in to check on me a little over an hour ago. They were actually talking to each other, sort of. They didn't look like they wanted to kill each other at least, which I thought was weird, but I didn't press the issue.

My back was killing me from lying in bed so long, so I decided to attempt to get up. Regretting it the moment I sat up in the bed. As soon as I swung my feet off the bed and placed them on the cool hardwood floor spikes of pain shot down my side and across my stomach, but it was a bearable amount of agony. Slowly I reached down and slipped on my boots carefully trying not to move my side too much.

As I hobbled around the bed I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror hanging on the wall. I looked disgusting. My hair was dirty and I still had some streaks of dirt on my neck from where I fell in the woods. I closed my eyes as the scene played back in my mind in slow motion. I'd been so lost in my memory I hadn't even heard the bedroom door open.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Bash said, as he walked into the room and placed a hand on the small of my back. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest when he touched me. He had on a red and black plaid button up shirt with his old dark blue t-shirt underneath.

"I'm okay; I needed to stretch my legs." I assured him, as he looked at me with a scowl. I laughed a little and shook my head. I took his hand and led him out of the bedroom on to the front porch and looked out over the farm. This place was beautiful; it was like it was completely untouched from the catalyst.

The clear blue sky stretched out for miles over all of the acres of land Hershel had. The lush trees flitted back and forth in the light breeze that was blowing, along with the high grass out in the pastures. Bash was staring at me, when I finally glanced up at him. He'd helped save me, by giving me blood transfusions that I desperately needed according to Lori. I'll never be able to thank him or Hershel, or Shane enough. Then there's Otis, too. He'd risked his life to go with Shane to get supplies and ended up losing his life so I could live.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Bash on the cheek hesitantly. "What was that for?" He asked, surprised but pleased with my actions. I don't know what's going on between us, all I know is I'm alive partly because of him. "You're always saving me." I whispered, as he cocked his head to the side, and stared directly at me with those deep brown eyes of his. He tightened his hand over mine, "Somebody has too. I could think of a few other ways for you to thank me though." He whispered back, as he caressed my cheek with his hand. I smirked and looked away from him as I felt a rush of warmth reach my cheeks. Then before I knew it his lips were pressed against mine. As he pulled away I buried my face in his shoulder so I didn't end up looking at him smiling like a moron. Bash wrapped his arms around me and led me down the steps over to where the others were.

"You really should go back to bed." Bash said, as he intertwined our fingers together as we walked through the tall grass. We were heading towards the far side of the property where the others were gathered. Hershel and his people were holding a small funeral for the man they had lost. I thought I should pay my respects as well.

"Bash, seriously? I am fine." I assured him again; he looked at me skeptically and rolled his eyes. He already knew he wasn't going to win this argument. I couldn't help but smirk though, he was so worried and overprotective it was actually really sweet when he did it. As we approached the others I stood next to Daryl as Bash pulled me into his side lightly. I rested my head on his chest, and watched as all of Hershel's people placed small rocks into a pile in honor of Otis.

"Blessed be father of our lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save another's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, god, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace." Hershel read from the bible. I felt the tears inch down my face as I listened to the words he spoke. Otis died trying to save me. A girl he didn't even know, he was trying to right the wrong he made. I'm standing here wondering if I was really worth saving. Was I really worth the life of another?

"Shane would you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked, looking at Shane. He seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts. This was the rawest I've ever seen Shane. Usually he's so put together so in control of every situation, but looking at him now, he just seems broken or lost. "I'm not good at it. I'm sorry." Shane replied, after a moment.

Bash rubbed his hand up and down my back trying to soothe me, and it did. I glanced around the group until my eyes landed on Patricia, she was Otis's wife. "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." She cried out. Shane cleared his throat and inched forward slightly.

"We were about done, almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad, ankle all swollen up. We got to save the girl, see, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack and shoved me ahead. Told me to run, he said I'll take the rear and cover you. And when I looked back… If not for Otis… I'd have never made it out alive. That goes for Riley too. It was Otis. He's the hero." Shane said, before he limped forward to place a rock on the wall for Otis. He lowered his head, and looked at Patricia.

"If any death ever had meaning, it was his." Shane said, as Patricia fell apart in Maggie's arms. I took a deep breath and walked over towards her and hugged her. "I'm so sorry you lost him, just for me." I whispered, as she hugged me tightly. I gave her a weak smile as we broke apart and then I retreated back into Bash's arms. I felt him kiss the top of my forehead as we all headed back towards the house.

Bash and I started to help Glenn unpack the tents attempt to assemble them. Daryl was leaning against the Jeep while Rick and Maggie flattened out a map on the hood of the yellow Jeep. Sophia still hadn't been located in all this time. I'm starting to really think she might be gone. They were trying to come up with a more organized method to search the area for her. She could be anywhere by now, but were in Georgia not Tibet so she could be holed up in an abandoned farm house or something, just waiting for someone to find her.

I was able to change into a clean black tank top and pull my hair into a messy bun. Bash kissed my bare shoulder when no one was looking as he placed his hand on my back. I bit my lip and glanced at him. He was completely wrapped up in whatever Glenn was saying, it's like us being like this came naturally to him. It didn't faze him the way it did me.

"Hey, Glenn." Maggie said, breaking my concentration on Bash putting pieces of the tent together. Maggie was beautiful, with short brown hair and a southern accent I wish I had. Glenn froze in his tracks, and looked at Maggie. Bash nudged him in the back with his elbow forcing him forward.

"Rick says you're the go-to-town expert. Says you're quick on your feet and know how to get in and out fast. I need to head into town for some supplies. Care to join me?" She asked, as I stepped around Bash. "Yeah, I'll go." Glenn answered rather quickly. He liked her, it was beyond obvious.

"I'll go too." I said, placing my hands in my back pockets. Maggie raised her eyebrows. "No, you're not." Bash informed me. I shot him a look. "Sure you're up for a horseback ride; it might blow your stitches." Maggie said, as she adjusted the cowgirl hat on her head.

"I'll be fine. I've ridden before. I need to do something to help, besides sit here and wait. Everyone's out looking for Sophia and Daryl won't let me go. At least I'll be contributing something." I said, I couldn't sit here and watch everyone else run around and do stuff while they've done so much for me already. I didn't want to feel useless.

"Excuse me, but what's the water situation here." Dale said, as he came out of the RV.

"There are two wells on the property. Well number one connects to the house, well number two we use for the cattle, but it's just as pure. Take what you need, there are carts and containers in the generator shed behind the house." Maggie said.

"Alright then, I'll go saddle up the horses." Maggie said, giving Glenn a warm smile before heading off towards the house. Bash grabbed my arm gently, and was getting ready to jump down my throat about needing rest when I glared at him. He let out a breath, "You're a pain in the ass, and you know that." He said, before walking off. I started to go after him, but was stopped by Lori.

"Sweetheart, I heard you're going with Glenn into town?" Lori asked, as she walked alongside me, Bash was up ahead talking to Glenn waiting for Maggie to bring the horses out of the barn. Lori looked anxious and nervous by the way she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Yeah, do you need something?" I asked, as she pulled me under some weeping willow trees. "Lori, what's wrong?" I asked again, becoming worried now; she's never acted this way before. She handed me a sliver of notebook paper, and I opened it and read, _pregnancy test. _

_"_I'd like for this to stay between us, for now." Lori said, as I folded the piece of paper back up and slipped it into my back pocket. I nodded my head, "I'll take care of it. Don't worry." I said, as she pulled me into a hug. I stood there beneath the tree for moment in shock, Lori pregnant? I can't even imagine what having a baby would be like in a normal world, let alone in a world like this one.

I walked up the gravel driveway and met up with Bash and Glenn, they were watching Maggie lead for horses out of the barn and down the gravel road. "Hello, farmer's daughter." Glenn blurted out in awe. I rolled my eyes and headed down the road to meet her. The horses were beautiful. They wagged their tails and swatted flies away in the process. I took two of the leads as Maggie handed them to me.

"Why do you have four horses?" I asked.

"I figured your boyfriend would be coming along as well. With the way he acted when you volunteered to come along." Maggie replied, causing me to laugh. Bash my boyfriend, it does have a nice ring to I guess. I don't know if that's even what he wants us to be. He seems like he genuinely cares about me, but I still hardly know him.

We all saddled up the horses and headed into town, and I tried not to laugh watching Glenn and Bash ride the horses. They were so out of the element it wasn't even funny, well actually it was hilarious. Maggie and I ended up laughing at how awkward they both looked. "Keep laughing Riles, I'll get you back for it later." Bash said, as he ushered his horse ahead of Maggie and I. "I'm sorry!" I laughed out.

It took about thirty minutes to get all the way into town. There was a pharmacy building, a local bar and hardware store and a tiny library. We stopped outside of the pharmacy and tied our horses up there. Bash helped me down off my horse, and held my hand as we walked through the door, listening to chimes ring out as the door closed behind us.

"We'll see what's left in the back." Maggie said, as her and Glenn strode down the empty aisles and disappeared behind the counter in the back of the building. The place was picked clean pretty much already, the shelves were bare. I strode through the woman's aisle and found a pregnancy test, but I didn't want to just pick it up. Bash was moving stuff around on the shelves not really looking for anything in particular.

"What are you looking for?" He asked, as he squeezed my hand again.

"Umm… It's a girl thing." I said, hoping he'd take the hint and walk away. He looked at me funny, "Tampons, I'm looking for tampons." I said, and he through his hands in the air. "Take your time, I'm waiting outside." He said, before releasing my hand and heading outside with the horses. I knew he'd get grossed out and walk away. I grabbed the test quickly and shoved it in my bag and headed back out into the warm summer air. Bash was petting the horses and smiled when I walked up beside him. We waited for Glenn and Maggie to come back out, but they were taking forever.

"What's taking them so long? I wonder if they need help." I asked, as Bash glanced in the window. He immediately smirked, and laughed, "I'll be damned." He whispered, causing me to glance in the window myself. Glenn and Maggie were in the middle of ripping each other's clothes off. I pulled Bash away from the window and we both busted out laughing, I was not expecting to see that.

"They don't need any help," Bash said, when he regained his composure. "Well, what do we do now?" I laughed as Bash stared at me. He walked towards me and I backed away, "Umm…let's check out the library." I suggested, suddenly afraid to be alone with him once again.

We walked down the gravel road, and stopped when we came to the library. I pushed the door open cautiously, hoping no walkers were inside. Bash was right behind me, as we continued into the library I started going down the rows of books and pulling things I thought Carl and Sophia might like, as well as things for myself.

I had an entire pile when Bash laughed at me, and shook his head. "What?" I asked innocently.

"You're such a nerd." He said, as he took the books I handed him and placed them in his bag.

"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked, making my way around the corner and glancing back at him.

"No, I like smart girls." He said, calmly setting his bag down on the ground.

"So does that mean that you like me?" I asked, nervously picking at the binding of Moby Dick on the shelf. Bash inched closer towards me and I could feel him breathing on the back of my neck, as he placed his hands on my hips gently. I tried to keep my breathing even, I could feel my hands shaking as I opened a book to hid the fact that they were.

"Maybe we shouldn't be together, just stay friends." Bash whispered out, causing my heart to sink, "It would be easier." He said, as I turned my head to look at him, maybe he didn't like me as much as I thought he did. Maybe Daryl was right about him from the start.

"Um… Yeah, I guess it would be easier. I mean let's face it; if the world hadn't ended you wouldn't have given a girl like me a second thought, right?" I said, more so to myself then anyone. Bash looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"A girl like you?" He questioned.

"I'm not exactly like the other girls that you've been with. I'm not the frilly cheerleader that rah rah rah's for you on Friday night." I said, trying to move away from him, but he kept me situated in front of him.

"I said maybe we shouldn't be together, not that I didn't want to be. As far as those other girls, I'm glad you're nothing like them, because none of those other girls could ever make me feel the way you do Riley, that's why I kissed you." He said, as he caressed my cheek.

I don't know what came over me but I stood up on my tiptoes again and kissed him, this time on the lips, wrapping my arm around him as he pulled me into him as tight as he possibly could. A piece of paper couldn't fit between us. He kissed my lips, sending sparks flying everywhere inside of me, then I felt his tongue graze my lip and was startled at first, but let him kiss me that way. It was perfect, he was perfect.

"I could get used to this." He whispered, as he kissed the side of my neck and slid his hand under the hem of my tank top slightly. His rough hand was warm against my soft skin. He licked the side of my neck and kissed my cheek as he worked his way back to my lips once again. Things were escalating quite considerably. I ran my hands up his chest gently taking in all of his define chest muscles and rested them on his shoulders again, "Bash." I whispered, between kisses.

"I'm sorry, I'm stopping. I'm stopping." He said, as he reluctantly slowed things back down. He slid his hand back out from under my shirt and placed it on my cheek. We were just calming down and kissing lightly so focused on one another, we didn't even hear the hissing and snarling coming from the other row…

"Is that all this is too you?" I asked, "Sex?" Bash smirked, and kissed my cheek.

"No, you are so much more than that." He whispered, as I ran my hands through the back of his hair. I bit my lip and closed my eyes as he kissed me again. I smiled and pulled away from him gently and walked around the corner. He stayed where he was trying to calm himself down, I laughed as I went around the corner but that laugh soon turned into a scream as I came face to face with two walkers.

I pulled the knife out of my boot and knifed the closest walker in the neck instinctively. As Bash made his way around the corner and took care of the other one. I'd fallen on the floor, and was backing away from them lying there on the ground… "You alright?" He said, pulling me to my feet.

"It's okay." He said, as I buried myself in his chest. I kept nodding my head as I walked out of the library. Bash followed after me once he went back and got the bag he'd left on the floor. When he came out he was adjusting things so the bag would close when he pulled out the pregnancy test. He looked at the test and then back at me, "Are you?" He asked, as I shoved it back in the bag and headed for the horses.

Bash grabbed my arm, about the same time Glenn and Maggie were coming out of the pharmacy. "Are you pregnant?" He asked me again, "No, stop asking me that. It's not for me." I whispered, as he stopped me from getting on the horse.

"Let it go, please." I begged him, but he wouldn't give up.

"Bash seriously, I am not pregnant. It's not for me. There are other women in our camp. Think about it." I said, as I mounted my horse looking down at him, "Don't say anything." I whispered as he nodded his head and went to get on his own horse. I hated lying to him, but I promised Lori…


	18. Chapter 18

**Short filler chapter! Lot's of cute Bash and Riley moments though! Next chapter will be right back on track with the show! :) **

**Chapter 18**

**Riley's Point of View**

The trot back to the farm was awkward and silent for the most part. Glenn and Maggie shot each other looks the entire ride and Bash hardly spoke to me. He must think I'm lying about the pregnancy test being for someone else. I tried to ignore the fact that he was ignoring me and focused on the sound of the horse's hooves smacking into the gravel road as we headed back.

"How about we show these city boy's how to ride a horse?" Maggie asked me trotting her horse up beside mine; I smiled as I watched Bash and Glenn close the gate behind us to the farm.

"Sounds like a plan!" I said, as we ordered our horses into a full gallop. It was exhilarating feeling the wind blow in my face, sending my hair in every direction. I laughed as we came to halt near the barn. The horses let out a huff as I hopped down. I rubbed the horse's mane and handed the reins to Maggie. Bash and Glenn caught up to us and handed their horses over as well. Maggie headed for the house while Glenn headed back up towards the RV.

"Look, if the test is for you. It doesn't have to change things between us." Bash said, as we slowly walked back towards camp. The sun was starting to set for the evening, leaving a mixture of orange and pink streaks filling the sky above the swaying trees. He would still want to be with me even if I was carrying some other guy's baby. I thought guys like him only existed in books and movies.

"While that is probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, I'm not pregnant, nor do I want to be anytime soon." I said, grabbing his arm as he readjusted the bag on his shoulder. He looked at me and then looked at the ground. "It's for Lori, she asked me not to saying anything so please don't make me regret telling you." I whispered, as he looked at me with pure shock. He reacted about the same way I did.

"I won't tell anyone, but seriously she's knocked up? Does Rick know?" Bash asked, as we continued to walk through the high grass. The ride into town had taken more energy out of me than I thought it would have. I stifled a yawn with my hand and shook my head, "I guess that's what the tests for." I replied. If it is even Ricks baby. Lori and Shane were getting pretty cozy together before Ricks rise from the grave. It's not my business though.

Bash and I sat down together and watched the fire burn and warm the cool evening air. Lori motioned for me to follow her and I lifted my head off Bash's shoulder, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll be right back." I whispered, and took his bag and met Lori behind the RV. She looked frazzled and worried, as I rifled through the bag until I found the test.

"Thank you." Lori whispered, as she tucked it under her shirt. She walked off before I could say another word to her. I hope and pray she's not pregnant, that's the last thing we need. I walked back around the front of the RV and smacked right into Daryl, "Damn, watch it." Daryl snapped, before he realized it was me. His face relaxed a little after a moment.

"Did you find anything out there today?" I asked, as we walked along over towards the fence to one of the pastures.

"I might have found a lead. It looks like someone's been holed up in one them farm houses up past that ridge." Daryl said, as we stopped and rested our arms on the wooden fence. I flicked a spider off the fence and watched it fly towards the ground. "So there's still hope she's out there." I whispered. He patted my shoulder.

"You and lover boy have a nice trip into town?" Daryl snickered out; I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He did nothing to hide the sarcasm in his voice whatsoever.

"Actually, yes we did." I countered back, raising my eyebrows at him. Daryl shook his head in disgust as we headed back over towards the group. I sat down on a log next to Bash and ate dinner. I stole a roll off Bash's plate and stuck my tongue out at him. It had been a while since I've really eaten a full meal. My stomach and side were killing me from the ride into town. We talked in whispers until the night dwindled down. Daryl went to bed early; I could already hear him snoring from inside the tent.

"Come on," Bash said, as he led me into his tent. I followed him inside and stood there quietly as I watched him get ready for bed. He slipped his shirt over his head and took his belt off before sitting down on the ground. He looked up at me as he took off his boots. I smiled and bit my lip as I sat down next to him on the ground.

I've never seen him without his shirt before and it made my heart race. "You can admit that I'm sexy." He teased as he lied back and pulled a light blanket up over himself and my legs. I rolled my eyes, and playfully shoved his face away from me as he leaned up and tried to kiss me. "You're not that bad to look at I'll admit." I said, as he smirked. "Is it okay if I sleep here, with you?" I asked, innocently.

"I don't mind at all." He said, as he placed his hand on my back and rubbed circles in between my shoulder blades. "Can I borrow that?" I asked, pointing towards a long sleeve grey shirt sticking out of one of his bags. He sat up and pulled it out of the bag and handed it to me.

"Close your eyes." I said, as he rolled his eyes and begrudgingly covered them with his hand. I quickly pulled off the black tank top and slipped into his shirt, which was a thousand times more comfortable. When I turned around he was already looking at me smirking, and for a second I hoped he didn't see all of the scars on my back. Bash kept staring at me, "Nice tattoo." He whispered, referring to the ladybug tattoo on the back of my neck. I curled up next to him and chested my head on his shoulder, until he moved his arm and wrapped it around me. Now I was resting my head on his bare chest and trying not to freak out.

"You know I used to sit behind you in Mr. Miller's English class and stare at that." Bash whispered, as he tightened his hold around me. "You're such a stalker." I laughed out lightly.

"I guess, I mean I did watch you a lot. Well not just you everyone in general…but yeah I guess I focused on you more than anyone." He rambled on nervously. It made me sort of nervous knowing he watched me in high school.

"So what have you seen?" I asked, as I lifted my head up to look at him.

"I used to watch you sit alone at lunch on the brick wall alongside the courtyard and read. Sometimes watching you read was the best part of my day." He said, as he caressed my cheek. I bit my lip as he leaned up to kiss me on the lips. Kissing him was a complete rush, "That's either the sweetest or the creepiest thing you've ever said to me." I laughed out. I kissed him again and lied my head back down on his chest.

"Do you think we'll get to stay here?" I asked, as he intertwined our fingers together. There was a comfort between the two of us. Like we'd known each other forever, the way we acted just seemed like it came naturally.

"I honestly don't know. Hershel doesn't seem too keen about it. But I guess we'll see." He replied, as I closed my eyes and listened to his heart beating in my ear. I'm not counting on Hershel letting us stay here, but I'm going to enjoy the comfort and safety while I can. Bash kissed the top of my head before taking a deep breathe, he was completely relaxed holding me in his arms. It seemed like we were moving so fast, but it seemed like we fit together perfectly. Who knew I'd find the guy of my dreams when the world ended. I smiled to myself as we both drifted off to sleep…


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Riley's Point of View**

As I turned on my side I slowly opened my eyes to see the empty place where Bash had been lying next to me all night. I never even felt him get up. I sat up gradually and winced at the spikes of pain in side. I lifted the hem of my shirt up and peeled the bandage back to get a better look at the incision Hershel had made when he removed the bullet. It was red and sore as hell; I let my shirt fall and worked my way to my feet, pulling my boots on one at a time.

I stepped out of the tent and felt the warm breeze blowing wisps of hair in my eyes. I pulled my hair into a loose side braid as I spotted Bash over by the fire. It was still pretty early in the morning; we were the only ones awake. My boots crunched beneath my feet as I made my way over towards him. He looked like he was deep in thought about something. He gave me a halfhearted smile as I sat down next to him on the ground.

"You okay?" I asked, as he flicked pieces of a stick he'd ripped to shreds into the fire.

"Just thinking." He replied, as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"About your family?" I asked, without thinking. He didn't like talking about them. I've been trying to respect that fact too. It was hard though, I wanted to know everything about him desperately. He only let me know what he wanted me to know. Bash tensed up at my question and continued ripping pieces of bark off of the stick he held in his hand.

"Today's my brother Jesse's birthday, or it would be if he wasn't…" Bash said, as my heart sunk into my stomach. I didn't know what to say to him to help him feel better. I guess because I never had a mother or father there to show me what being comforted was like. I lifted my head off of his shoulder as he let out a sigh.

"Hold old would he be?" I asked, as he tossed the stick into the small fire that was hardly pushing a cloud of white smoke into the air.

"Thirteen." Bash whispered, and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders. You could see how much he cared about his brother, it was written all over his face.

"It was stupid. I'd brought Jesse on a run into town with me; he hadn't been out of the house in two weeks. I thought he'd be alright with me. I made the run hundreds of times and nothing happened. The one day I take him with me and all hell breaks loose." Bash said, as I listened to him finally opening up to me. The others in camp were starting to stir around, gradually getting up for the day.

"I made one mistake, and ended up alone." Bash whispered, as I felt a pain in my chest. I reached my hand up and intertwined it with his hand resting on my shoulder. "You're not alone anymore." I told him, as we leaned our heads into each other. I closed my eyes and felt him cup my chin in his hand and tilt my head up to kiss him. It was a small simple kiss that said everything we didn't say out loud. Bash pulled away and leaned up and kissed my forehead before he got up. "I'm just going to go clear my head." He said, as he helped me to my feet. I nodded my head and watched him walk off towards the horse barn. He needed to be alone, and I understood that more than anyone. Sometimes it was easier to sort out your thoughts in private.

I'd saved Bash some eggs Carol had cooked since he hadn't returned from his walk. I was helping Carl work on some math problems in his work book when I spotted Carol doing starting the laundry for the day. "Keep working on these, okay?" I instructed Carl before heading over to help out.

We were hanging close up on the line to dry, when I came across a pair of Daryl's boxers. Even though I knew they were clean I was touching those things even if I had a ten foot pole. I flicked them towards Carol and laughed, as she smirked and hung them up to dry. Lori appeared out of her tent and checked on Carl before heading our way.

"I can't believe I slept in." Lori said, as she grabbed a few articles of clothing out of the basket and close pins. She still looked exhausted if you asked me. I need to ask her about the pregnancy test, but I can't because we aren't alone. Is she pregnant? Was it just a scare? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around possibly having another little Grimes running amuck through camp.

"You must have needed it." Carol said, continuing hanging clothes up.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, nonchalantly. Lori shot me a look and I turned away from her, to search for more close pins. "Next time wake me up. Especially on laundry day." Lori said, ringing out a few t shirts that were still wet. I think we can handle doing the laundry with her help, but I nodded my head all in the same.

"I had an idea I wanted to run by you," Carol said, getting Lori's attention.

"It's been forever since I've cooked in a real kitchen. I thought maybe we could all pitch in and cook Hershel and his family a nice meal as a way of saying thank you for all he's done. Plus I'm looking for things to keep my mind occupied." Carol said, as I walked around her to grab a handful of clothes. Last time I'd done laundry was when we were at the quarry. I shuddered at the thought of Ed as he popped into my mind.

"After everything they've done, it seems like it's the least we could do." Lori said, shooting Carol a small smile. I looked past a shirt as it flitted in the breeze and saw Bash walking up with Rick and Shane.

"Would you mind extending the invitation? It would feel more right coming from you." Carol said, as Bash gave me the one over as he walked past me. He seemed like he was in a better mood now; I gave him a shy smile and watched as he stopped near the Jeep.

"How so?" Lori laughed out slightly. I tore myself away from looking at Bash and continued to hang more clothes up. I pulled the sleeves up on my arms and hung up one of Bash's t-shirts. It was the dark green one he'd worn the day he'd kissed me for the first time. It was also the day I got shot.

"You're Rick's wife; it sort of makes you the unofficial first lady." I said, as Lori rolled her eyes and smiled. I laughed a little and finished up the basket of clothes I was working on. Rick called everyone who could be spared away from camp to meet him by the Jeep, so he could over a new plan to find Sophia.

I headed over towards the Jeep and stood next to Bash and placed my hands in my back pockets. "All right, everyone's getting new search grids today." Rick said, as he sprawled a map open on the hood of the Jeep. Daryl had found the best lead we'd had on Sophia since she went missing yesterday.

"If she made it as far as the farm house Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far." Rick said, drawing a line over a small ridge on the map. I glanced at Shane as I brushed some loose hair out of my eyes and noticed how annoyed or pissed off he looked; I couldn't really tell which one it was. You never could with him.

One of Hershel's people came walking up, it was a young guy. He might have been sixteen or seventeen like Bash and me. "I'd like to help." He said, it took me a minute to remember that his name was Jimmy. He smiled at me and gave me the one over, but it was different than when Bash had done it earlier. He stood closer than I liked, but I wasn't going to be rude and tell him to get out of my personal bubble. We needed all the help we could get if we were going to find Sophia.

"I know the area pretty well and stuff." Jimmy said, confidently. I could tell Bash was uncomfortable with the way he kept noticing Jimmy looking at me occasionally.

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked, running his hand down the side of his face. "Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you." Jimmy replied, causing Rick to nodded his hand and welcome him aboard our search team. Shane was sitting inside the Jeep chewing on a piece of wheat, when he slid out of the car partially.

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane said, shaking his head. For some reason he was hell bent on believing we wouldn't find her.

"Anyone includes her, right?" I said, timidly.

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl said, as he pulled on a tan long sleeved shirt and buttoned the buttons up. It was a good lead, the only lead. I haven't seen Shane finding anything better to go on.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick said, nodding in agreement. He still had hoped we would find her. I guess I still did too. If I survived getting shot, there's a chance she's still out there, right?

"No maybe about it, I'm borrowing a horse. I'll head up to this ridge right here, and take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's out there, I'll spot her." Daryl said, examining the map in front of him.

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see you're chupacabra up there." I said, smirking at Daryl from across the Jeep. He rolled his eyes and made a face at me.

"Chupacabra?" Rick asked, looking at Daryl and I like we were walkers. "You've never heard this?" I replied, surprised.

"Daryl said this whole thing reminds him of a time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra." I said, as Bash reached for my hand. Jimmy laughed, "You believe in a blood sucking dog?" He asked skeptically.

"Do you believe dead people are up walking around?" Daryl shot back. I stifled a laugh. Dale had laid a rifle down on the hood the Jeep most likely for Rick or Shane to take out with them, but Jimmy reach over and attempted to pick it up, before Rick stopped him. "You ever shot one before?" He asked. Jimmy shook his head no, "If I am going out I want one." He practically demanded.

"Yeah, well people in hell want Slurpee's." Bash snorted and pulled his hand gun out of the back of his jeans and checked it over. Rick had entrusted a weapon to him. Shane offered to give Jimmy some training tomorrow out in the back fields a few miles away from the farm. Daryl wanted me to go as well; he thought it was about time I learned how to shoot. I mean I could shoot if I had too now, but my aim sucks completely.

Rick gave each group of two a set of colored fabric so we could try and map out grids in the woods. Bash and I were yellow. I tucked the yellow strips of fabric into my back pocket and turned to see Daryl walking over towards us. "You keep her safe, or you'll deal with me." He ordered Bash; he nodded his head and completely ignored me. "I can handle myself thank you very much!" I hollered over my shoulder, as Bash wrapped an arm around my waist.

We started off into the woods and pushed our way back about a mile or so. The canopy of the trees shielded us from the blazing sun trying to scorch us from above. We climbed a small slope grabbing onto trees to pull us towards the top. The entire time we made the trek to the top I thought there's no way in hell Sophia climbed this on her own.

Bash had made it to the top already and grabbed my hand to help me the rest of the way up. Once I was topside I let out a breath, the view was gorgeous. We were standing on a slate rock cliff that jutted out into a small rushing river below. You could hear the waves sloshing and crashing into the side of the rock wall. We've been walking the woods for four hours already. I noticed Bash staring at me and then looking at the water. "Want to go for a swim?" He grinned.

"I am not jumping that!" I laughed out, "But you can go right ahead." I said pointedly, gently pushing on his chest. He latched onto my waist and pulled me towards the edge, as I squealed and tried to break free from his grasp. He laughed as he held me against his chest. I kissed him as I twisted his shirt in my hand slightly. I kept kissing him and pushing him slowly towards the edge. He knew what I was doing.

We were standing a few feet from the edge, when I looked down and laughed at him. I gave him one final jokingly push and, felt myself falling forward as well. "If I go I'm taking you with me!" He laughed out, as we plunged forward. I felt the rush of the wind enclose around our bodies and then heard the splash as our feet hit the water. It was refreshing, but yet surprisingly freaking cold. I came up to the surface first and coughed a few times and then searched for Bash. He hadn't come up yet.

I twisted around in the water becoming worried, I still hadn't seen come up for air. "Bash!" I called out, looking around again. I felt something grab my waist and lift me out of the water and I let out a squeal. He crashed my body into the water and laughed, "I hate you!" I yelled, slinging water back at him. He scared the crap out of me. I let out a laugh after a moment and noticed the expression that had crept onto his face.

"You shouldn't have done that." He said, almost menacingly. For a second I thought he was really upset that I'd slung water in his face. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him with one swift motion, and tickled my rib cage and lifted me over his shoulder. "Gunshot victim here!" I laughed out. I tried to dunk him under the water, but he was ten times stronger than me. It was nice to joke around and be happy for a few minutes, but somehow I felt guilty.

I let out giggle as he pulled me into him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me in for a kiss. "You laugh like a five year old." He said, as he pulled away from me. I was kicking my feet in the water when I felt something touch my foot. I blew it off as a fish or something; we were in a river after all. "Why did you stay with our group?" I asked, as he played with the end of my fishtail braid.

Bash mulled my question over before he answered, "I stayed for you, Riley." He replied, caressing my cheek. I've never had anyone look at me the way he looks at me. I leaned in and placed my lips on his, and I felt something touch my thigh and smirked because I thought it was Bash. Then I realized both of his hands were on my hips, and pulled away immediately.

"Did you just touch my leg?" I asked, as he continued to kiss me.

"No, I didn't." He replied, looking at me.

"Either it was you or there are some pretty grabby fish in this water." I said, trying to look through the turquoise green water. It was so clouded with mud you couldn't see a thing. I felt something bump my leg again and clung to Bash. He saw a shadow under the water, "Get out of the water." He said, pushing me towards the shore. That's when I backed write into a walkers head, as it bobbed out of the water. I screamed and went back towards bash.

The walker's head was bloated and slimed, like it had been soaking in the water for weeks or months even. It hissed and moaned as it attempted to swim towards us. "They're in the water! How is that possible?" I yelled as we tried to get away from it. Two more heads bobbed to the surface and cut us off in the water, we were surrounded. It felt like shark's circling us. "Shit!" Bash yelled keeping me close to him.

They hadn't quite figured out how to swim in the water so it was just like chomping teeth and gnarled skin coming towards us in slow motion. They must have grown gills or something. "What do we do?" I shrieked, as Bash pulled me behind him in the water. Bash had placed his gun on the cliff above us…. We are so screwed….


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Riley's Point of View**

Bash tucked me behind him even more as the walkers began pinning us against the slate rock wall. If the walkers got a hold of us we'd either drown from the struggle or ultimately be bitten. We were running out of time, when I remembered the knife I kept tucked inside my boot. As I kicked my feet in the water I tried not to drown myself as I reached down and pulled the knife out of my boot.

"Here, Bash!" I said, as I handed the knife to him. He grabbed the knife and headed towards the nearest walker and jammed the edge of the knife into the walker's neck, clearing a path our right to get by and get to the shore. "Go! Get out of the water!" He ordered me. I didn't want to leave him in the water alone with those things, but he shoved me forward so I didn't have a choice.

I climbed out of the water and stumbled into a tree like the typical klutz that I am. Whipping my head around I watched as Bash knifed the last walker in the eye. The once muddy water was now a mixture of blood and floating walkers. Bash swam over to where I'd gotten out of the river and I gave him a hand up onto the ledge I'd been standing on. We both stood there at a loss for words. Walkers shouldn't be able to swim like that. I bent down and rest my hands on my knees and tried keep my heart from exploding. That scared the shit out of me.

"If they grew gills, do you think we will too?" I asked half laughing and shaking my head. Sebastian rolled his eyes, and pulled me into him as I straightened up. He ran his fingers along my jawline and neck, "No gills yet." He said, as I shoved him back playfully. How could he go from almost dying right back to flirting? Bash and I were soaked from head to toe, and covered with mud and dirt from the river.

Now that we were on the other side of the river we could keep pushing forward for Sophia. We'd just wasted an hour fooling around and almost dying in the water. I guess if I had to go being wrapped up in Bash's arms wouldn't be a completely terrible way to die. "Looks like Rick and Shane's territory." Bash said, pointing towards the red piece of fabric tied to a tree branch ahead of us.

"The sun's going to set soon, we might as well just head back." Bash said, as I spotted something pink up ahead of us. I walked further ahead of Bash stepping over uprooted tree roots as I went. I thought it was someone's marker maybe, but none of us had pink. I crouched down and pulled the piece of pink fabric out of the bushes it had been hiding under as Bash crept up behind me.

Standing up I opened the piece of fabric up and realized it was a jacket. It was Sophia's jacket. "Sophia!" I called out immediately, spinning in circles looking in every direction. "Sophia!" Bash yelled again, but the only returning sound we heard came from the birds flapping their wings as they flew out of the trees above us. The jacket was torn and covered in dirt, but there were no signs of blood on it. Which I took as a good thing, but who knows how long ago she passed through here. My guess it's been days since she was here…

We searched for another hour before calling it and heading back to the farm. My boot's squished and squeaked along with Bash's as we headed up the pasture that adjoined Hershel's. Bash stopped walking and picked a wildflower out of the field and handed it to me. "It's for you." He said smirking, as I twirled it in my fingers. I smiled as he took it out of my hand and placed it behind my ear. I couldn't help but feel my stomach flutter as we continued to walk back hand in hand. I've seen all these romantic movies where the girl has this amazing boyfriend and gushes over how special it is, but I never knew how special it would feel to have him holding my hand. I never knew I even wanted to have someone in my life like him.

We came to the fence that separated the pastures and climbed under it, and slowly walked up the gravel road towards our little campsite. Bash and I went our separate ways to change into some dry clothes. I stepped into mine and Daryl's tent and rifled through my bag for something comfortable to wear. I haven't slept in here one night, and Daryl's crap is everywhere. I changed into a pair of ripped up grey jeans and a light pink ¾ sleeve shirt that had buttons missing at the top. I brushed my hair out and pulled it into a loose bun before heading over into Bash's tent to find my books I'd left in his bag.

"Can I come in?" I whispered, as he pushed the flap of the tent open. I came inside and blushed when I saw he was shirtless, again. My eyes just happened to be glancing in the general direction of his chest when I noticed there was blood oozing out of a cut on his side. "Are you okay?" I asked panicking, touching above where the cut was, and looking at him frantically hoping he hadn't been bit or scratched by one of the walkers from the water.

"I'm alright, it must have happened while we were walking in the woods. I didn't even feel it." He said, I let out a small breathe as I hesitantly removed my hand from his bare chest. Bash pulled on his shirt and sat down on the ground with me. I was looking through some of the books I'd "borrowed" from the library and settled on _The Prince of Thieves_. Bash pulled me back so I was resting against his chest. He was playing with loose strands of my hair and trying to flip the pages in the book before I was done reading them. Finally I sat up so he would stop messing with me; it was actually a pretty interesting book. He laughed, knowing his tormenting got to me.

"Why don't we do something that's beneficial for the both of us?" Bash suggested as he kissed my neck, causing me to bite my lip. "Like what?" I quipped back at him, as he continued to kiss my neck and move towards my chin. He took my book and tossed it on the other side of the tent, and turned my head into his as I giggled and kissed him back. "Is your mind always in the gutter?" I asked, as he gently laid me on my back and continued to caress my cheek.

"95% of the time, yeah it is." He said, grinning. I heard my stomach make a god awful sound and became embarrassed immediately. I hadn't eaten anything pretty much all day, other than a few bites of food this morning. Bash pulled back and placed his hand on my stomach as I busted out laughing, "Well that's definitely not attractive."

"I don't really want you to eat me, so we should probably go get you some food." Bash joked, as I punched him lightly in the arm, causing him to fall on his back laughing.

"I guess you'll be sleeping alone tonight!" I teased, as I got up and headed outside of the tent. Bash followed after me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Walker! I see a walker!" Andrea yelled standing on top of the RV. Bash and I both froze and looked over towards Andrea, didn't we have enough run in's with walkers for one damn day… We both jogged over towards the RV to try and see what she had seen…


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Riley's Point of View**

I shielded my eyes from the glaring sun as I tried to make out what Andrea had seen. Off in the distance a human figure was gimping through the pasture towards the farm. Rick, Shane, Bash, and Glenn took off after it while Andrea set the scope of her gun on it. "I think I can nail it from here!" She said, almost happily.

"No, Hershel want's to deal with walkers." Rick said, as he hurried past me. I stepped aside and tried to focus my eyes on the walker out in the field. My eyes were terrible as it was; the damn sun wasn't helping me see better either. I headed down the hill and stood at the wire fence trying to see if there were more.

"Why, we can take care of it. It's just the one." Shane said, as he hobbled along. Rick and the boys followed after him. If Andrea shoot's the walker it's probably going to draw more of them in, if any others are in the area. Rick and the guys had reached the walker and were holding it at what looked like gun point, but they hadn't shot yet. Which I thought was weird, there's no way they'd get that close to one and not shoot it. I ducked under the wire fence and walked forward a few steps into the tall grass.

As I moved closer I spotted a crossbow… Daryl carries a bow. It's Daryl. Why is he walking funny? Oh my god was he bitten? I felt my chest tighten and my heartbeat begin to race as I walked faster towards them. I heard the sound of the gun go off from behind me, and heard the echo as it cracked through the air. I froze in my tracks not knowing where exactly the shot came from for a moment, and saw Daryl fall backwards onto the ground. No…No…No… I whipped my head around to see Andrea standing proudly on top of the RV, like she'd just shot a prize winning buck.

"No!" I screamed, as I ran towards them as fast as my feet would carry me. Rick screamed, as I approached and I ran up beside Daryl lying on the ground. "Is he dead?" I asked, as tears streamed down my face. I knelt down beside my brother and checked him over; the bullet had just grazed the right side of his head. Daryl was covered from head to toe in mud and blood. My eyes landed on the necklace around his neck, it was ears…ears. What the hell Daryl?

I stepped back as Rick and Shane lifted him to his feet as he groaned out in pain. "He's wearing ears?" Glenn hissed, as they started to carry him back towards camp. "We should keep that to ourselves." I whispered, shooting Glenn a look and ripped the necklace off his neck and flung it out into the woods as far as I possibly could. I turned to catch back up with the others when I spotted T-Dog holding a doll in his hands.

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's" T-Dog said, as we all stood there staring at the doll. The boys carried Daryl inside the house and laid him back on the bed so Hershel could check him over. I buried my face in Bash's chest outside the bedroom door. Part of me wanted to kick Andrea's ass for shooting my brother, and the other part of me was just thankful he was going to be alright, hopefully. I stepped away from Bash and walked into the bedroom to see Hershel stitching Daryl's side up.

I sat down on the end of the bed and glanced at the map Rick had spread out on the bed. "Will he live?" I asked, glancing at Daryl. Hershel pulled a piece of thread through Daryl's side and I winced feeling the scar on my side. "He'll live this time." Hershel replied, over his shoulder.

"That's unfortunate." I teased, as Daryl attempted to give me the finger. I laughed and patted Daryl's ankle. I slid my hand down the side of my face and glanced at Bash who was leaning in the door way. He shot me a small smile. I don't know what I would if anything happened to Daryl, or Bash.

"I found the doll lying in a creek bed; she must have dropped it trying to cross or something." Daryl said, wincing and shooting Hershel a look as he finished up the stitches. He pointed to a small blue line on the map so Rick could pinpoint where he was referring too.

"That cut's the grid in half." Rick said, looking around at everyone.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Daryl huffed out.

"I had no idea we'd be going through antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" Hershel asked, as he washed his hands off in the wash bowl on the dresser.

"Yeah, the one who almost killed me? If it's smart, it left the country." Daryl shot back, adjusting the white rag he had held against the gash in his head.

"We call that one Nelly, as in nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Hershel said, as he glared at Daryl and Rick. Of course Daryl stole the horse. Hershel instructed everyone to leave Daryl be for a while to get some much needed rest.

As I stepped into the hallway I wrapped my arms around Bash's waist, and felt him places his arms around me tightly. His shirt smelled like the outside, were it had been drying on the close line. I buried my face in his shoulder. "Do me a favor." I said, as he stroked the back of my hair, and kissed the side of my head. "Anything." He whispered back.

"Don't ever die." I said, lifting my head up to look at him. He leaned his head into mine and tilted my chin up with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere. Neither is Daryl." He said, looking me right in the eye. I leaned up as he kissed me gently on the lips before he tucked me under his arm and led us towards the front porch. Andrea was sitting on the front step as we came outside. Bash headed off towards the other end of the porch to smoke, as I sat down beside Andrea.

"How's he doing?" She asked, looking at me through blurry eyes. You could see the guilt in her eyes. I wanted to hate her for shooting him. It was an honest mistake though, if it had been me I would have wanted to protect the group as well.

"He'll be alright." I said, brushing a loose lock of hair behind my ear. Andrea let out a breath. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I shot him." She whispered out. I sighed and picked at the tear in my jeans.

"Don't be to hard on yourself. Let's face it we've all wanted to shoot Daryl. Me included." I said, holding back a grin. Andrea laughed and wiped her eyes, before heading inside to help out with dinner. I looked at Bash before I followed her inside. He was sitting on the porch railing smoking. I smiled when he caught me looking and then headed inside, letting the screen door close behind me.

After helping Beth and Maggie set the table, we carried food from the kitchen and placed it on the dining room table. We all sat down to eat dinner together. It was nice to eat a dining room table for a change. It almost made things seem normal, even though we were miles from normal. The sounds of forks and knives clinking onto plates filled the room. Usually that's a sign that the foods really good, which don't get me wrong it was, this was from tension in the air.

I looked up from my plate to see Maggie passing Glenn a note under the table and smirked as I glanced at Bash who was trying his best not to laugh. Glenn's game sucked, and it was actually adorable to see them interact with each other. Bash had his hand resting on my thigh under the table. I squeezed his hand before I got up to take Daryl a plate of food.

I sat a tray of food down on the night stand as I pushed the door open with my hip. "How are you feeling?" I asked, closing the door slightly. He rolled over in the bed causing the mattress to creak, "About as good as I look." He grumbled out.

"I thought you might be hungry." I said, as I handed him a glass of orange juice and sat down on the edge of the bed. He took a sip and handed it back to me. I set the glass down on the night stand and sat there quietly for a few minutes.

"You ain't going to cry are you?" Daryl said as he sat up in the bed slightly. I rolled my eyes and chucked a throw pillow at him. He blocked it with his hand and looked at me.

"Do you blame me... For waiting to go after Merle?" I asked timidly. It felt like he blamed me every time he looked at me. Things have changed between us since that happened. Daryl and I have never really been ones to have heart to hearts but I've always felt like I could talk to him, lately not so much.

"Riles, I don't blame you... I know I haven't been much of a big brother these past few weeks and I'm sorry for that. I'm just trying to deal with it on my own, you know?" He said, as I tucked my knees under my chin. I nodded my head and looked at him.

"If you would have went after Merle, I could of ended up losing the both of you." He said, lying back in the bed again. I patted him on the arm and pulled another blanket up on him before heading out to let him rest. I headed outside when I couldn't locate Bash inside. I didn't have to walk far to find him. He was setting by the fire outside of our tents. As I got closer he got to his feet to meet me, taking my hand he led me into my tent. He flopped down on the ground with a thud and pulled me down with him.

We lied there wrapped up in each other and let a comfortable silence fall over us. We stayed like that for what felt like hours. In reality it had only been probably an hour. We were both in and out of sleep already. "I should go to bed, so you can get some sleep." He whispered as I snuggled into his chest and shoulder more. Bash readjusted his arm around me and squeezed my other hand. I didn't want him to move, and after sleeping with him last night I didn't want him to leave me alone.

"Stay with me." I whispered back. He kissed the top of my head in response and I knew he wasn't going anywhere. In a matter of minutes we were both fast asleep. Only I woke up two hours later because I thought I heard a noise. I opened my eyes and tried to let them adjust to the darkness surrounding me. I sat up slightly resting my hand on Bash's chest. I could hear something banging outside, repeatedly.

"Bash!" I whispered, shaking my hand on his chest lightly trying to wake him up. "Bash, wake up!" I tried again. He groaned as he rolled on his side unwilling to wake up. He's the guy he's supposed to go see what's making noises in the middle of the night. That's his job. Not mine. "Dammit, now I have to pee." I whispered to myself as I grabbed a flashlight. Dog followed me out of tent as I looked in the direction I thought the sound had come from. I was about to head in the RV to use the bathroom when I heard what sounded like pieces of wood smacking together. I pointed the flashlight towards the direction of the abandoned barn on the far left side of Hershel's property. I crept towards it as the sound continued to echo in the light breeze.

No one ever went in this barn, that I'd ever seen. As I walked around the barn I spotted a loose board clanking against the side of the barn. That's the culprit. Dog had begun digging at the side of the barn and whining. "Come on boy, let's go back to bed." I whispered, as he continued to dig. I turned around to head back to Bash when I heard a distinct hissing sound. Stopping I slowly turned on my heel and looked around. There was nothing but darkness. Maybe it was just Dog, seriously Riley you're losing it I thought to myself. As I reached down for Dogs collar my eyes caught something moving in the barn through a crack in the wood. As I got closer I peered into the crack only to jump back when a face appeared looking back at me. I let out a scream and fell flat on my ass.

"Walkers." I whispered as I fumbled to get to my feet. I gradually backed away from the barn as I heard more and more of them hitting the side of the barn wall... Why are there walkers in the barn? Who the hell are these people were living with...


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Riley's Point of View**

This isn't real, Riley. You're just dreaming. You need to wake up. There's no way someone would have a huge barn full of those moaning freaks. I pinched my arm as I stared through the wooden slates on the side of the building. There were tons of them inside, just wondering aimlessly around. I pinched my arm harder, and felt a spike of pain in my arm. Okay, you really are awake. Slowly, I walked backwards until I turned and broke into a run back towards Bash in the tent. He needed to see this.

As I snuck back into the tent I fell onto my knees behind Bash's sleeping form. "Bash, wake up!" I whispered, rubbing his shoulder lightly. He didn't budge an inch. "Dammit, wake up!" I said, as I shook his side until he finally moaned and turned on his back, "What? No, I'm up… What's wrong?" He said, disoriented for a moment. He sat up partially and squinted at me through the glow of the flashlight. I couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked with his hair tossed every which way…

"You need to come with me, right now." I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the tent. He begrudgingly followed me out into the night and stuck by my side as I led him towards the barn.

"What is going on?" He demanded, pulling me to a stop. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I didn't exactly know how to tell him there was flesh eating walkers roaming around in Hershel's barn.

"There are walkers in the barn!" I blurted out, as I took his hand and continued to pull him towards the barn to show him.

"Are you high right now? Why the hell would there be…" Bash started to say as I pushed him forward and he peeked through the slot in the wood and heard the hissing and moans.

"What the hell?" Bash said, as he stepped back to look at me. He grabbed the flashlight out of my hand and walked around the barn. The front of it was padlocked shut, and any other windows were boarded over. Bash and I headed around towards the back of the barn; he started to climb the latter to the loft above it.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, yanking on his shirt. He's crazy if he goes in there.

"I want know how many of them are in there." He replied, as he climbed towards the top. I rolled my eyes and reluctantly followed him up. Once he was inside he grabbed my hand and helped me the rest of the way up into the loft. I kept my hand firmly placed in his as we maneuvered our way past bales of hay. The sound of their moans reminded me of like nails on a chalkboard.

We rounded a corner of hay bales and smacked right into Glenn and Maggie, I jumped back not expecting anyone else to be up here. "What are you doing up here?" Maggie hissed, as she shot Bash and I looks.

"I could ask you two the same thing! What the hell is this?" I asked, as I peered down over the railing to look at the walkers. There were maybe twenty or thirty of them piled together. They bumped into one another as they tried to walk around.

"You shouldn't be up here!" Maggie croaked out as she pushed Bash, Glenn and I back towards the latter. She forced us to climb back down, Bash placed his hands on my hips once he was back on the ground and helped me not fall and break my neck. We all turned towards Maggie, forming a group around her waiting for some answers.

"Why do you have a barn full of walkers?" Bash demanded, stepping forward. I could hear the anger in his voice.

"Please, just keep this to yourselves for now. Don't say anything to anyone, please." Maggie pleaded with us before she made a beeline for her house. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, looking at Bash. He had his hands on his hips, staring at the ground. Glenn just looked like he was in shock. Bash placed his hand on the small of my back and pushed Glenn along as we headed back towards our tents.

"Let's just keep our mouths shut for now, alright. Let her explain in the morning." Bash said, as Glenn nodded his head and stumbled off into his tent. Bash and I crawled back into our tent and sat there quietly. Lifting the plastic flap over the window and peeking out at the barn every few minutes. Every single time I start to breathe easier again, something screws it all up.

Bash pulled me into his side as we eventually lied back down. Neither one of us slept much at all. We both tossed and turned and checked out the window throughout the remainder of the night. When the morning finally rolled around I had just fallen asleep curled into Bash's side when I felt him move and woke up again. "Sorry, I was trying not to wake you up." He said, caressing my cheek. I nodded letting him know I didn't mind. I yawned and wiped the sleep out of my eyes as I sat up.

"We'll figure it out." Bash whispered as he put his arm around me. I loved how strong he felt when he held me. I leaned my head over as he pulled me into a small good morning kiss. It was just a peck on the lips, but it was enough to send me spinning. We could hear the others already wondering around outside of the tent, most likely cooking breakfast. They're all completely oblivious to the catastrophe hiding in the barn. Bash left me alone so I could change my clothes for the day. I ended up changing into a white cotton v neck shirt and pulling on black and red plaid button up.

Emerging from the tent my eyes automatically wondered to the barn for a moment, and then I looked elsewhere not wanting to draw attention towards the barn. I spotted Glenn standing near some trees on the far side of camp and made my way over towards him. He was staring at the barn through Shane's binoculars. I walked up beside him and lightly smacked him on the back of the head. "Hey, what was that for?" He shrieked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Could you be any more obvious?" I asked, feeling the presence of someone behind me. I felt a hand on my back and already knew it was Bash. My heart skipped a beat at his touch, just like it always did. He was still wearing the green shirt of his that I loved. We slid our hands together as Maggie walked up carrying a basket of freshly ripened peaches. "Here, enjoy." She said, avoiding making eye contact with any of us. "Are you trying to bribe us with fruit?" Glenn asked, as we each hesitantly took a peach. Maggie sighed and looked at us all. "Of course not, there's also jerky." She said, as I rolled my eyes and laughed at her subtlety.

"Alright, cut the crap. Why does your dad have a secret barn full of walkers?" Bash asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched Maggie skeptically. Obviously she didn't want us to know the reason the walkers were in the barn. Hell, I didn't even want to know about the walkers in the barn now.

"It's creepy, and not to mention _creepy!_ You know that right?" I added.

"Shhh! Just trust me on this, okay? Let me handle it." Maggie said, handing the basket of peaches off to Glenn.

"But I suck at lying. I can't even play poker, because it's too much like lying!" Glenn hissed through gritted teeth. Bash flung his head back and interlocked his fingers behind his neck. If Glenn runs his mouth there's no telling how the others in the group will react.

"You have to keep this to yourselves. Please." Maggie begged us. I could see the pain and worry in her eyes. "Okay." I whispered, nodding my head before she stalked off. I glared at Glenn, and grabbed his arm before he headed off to distribute the basket of peaches.

"Don't tell anyone." I instructed as he stared at the fuzzy peaches in the wicker basket he'd been holding. We are so screwed right now. I kept my eye on Glenn as he skittishly made his rounds with the basket. He was acting like a deer that dodged getting hit by a car. It was painful to watch. We just had to play it cool and pretend like we didn't know anything.

After breakfast I'd made my way to check on Daryl. He'd worked his way back out into our tent. He was lying down poking holes in the screen to the little windows the tent had with one of his arrows. I plopped down beside him and tossed him a book. "I thought you might be bored." I said, as he flipped through the pages unimpressed. "What no pictures." He teased.

"So you still sure you're alright with me going shooting today?" I asked, retying my shoelaces. Daryl grunted as he turned on his side to face me.

"Yeah, I guess. He going with you?" Daryl asked, referring to Bash. At first I thought he meant it as in I don't want him to go with you, but then I realized he meant it in more of a I'm glad you aren't going alone way. I smiled thinking about him like an idiot.

"Yeah, he's coming. He does have a name you know." I said, smirking. "Just watch yourself. Be careful." Daryl instructed, as he continued to poke holes in the side of the tent. I reached over and snatched the arrow out of his hand.

"You're going to let bugs inside now!" I said, placing the arrow on the other side of the tent. Daryl laughed, and tossed the book back at me. The door to the tent flipped open as I smacked Daryl in the arm. He loved to carry on and piss me off. It was just how we acted. Bash smirked at me, when I looked up to see who it was.

"Rent-a-cop is ready to go to the "shooting range." Bash said, as I chuckled at his new name for Shane. It was fitting. "I'm coming." I said, as I stood up and headed out of the tent. "Keep an eye on her." Daryl asked Bash as he picked the book back up off the ground. "Always." Bash replied.

We headed down the gravel road to meet up with Shane and the others who were going out to practice handling a weapon and get some shooting practice in. Bash and I hopped into the bed of Hershel's truck and sat down. We had to drive a few miles away from the farm because Hershel wasn't too keen on gunfire so close to home. As we rode down the back roads of the country the wind blew my hair every which way and Bash stared at me as the sun glistened down from the warm blue sky.

He dug through his pocket until he pulled out a black sharpie marker. He took my foot and placed it in his lap and drew a tiny black heart on the white tip of my snake head sneakers. He looked up from his doodling and I felt like he saw right through me. For an instance there were no walkers in the barn, no walkers at all. We had no worries; we were just two kids sitting in the back of a truck, slowly falling for one another. I was sitting on the opposite side of the truck when he reached over and pulled me towards him in one swift motion.

Bash brushed some of the wild hair behind my ear and grazed my cheek with his fingers. I closed my eyes and felt his lips touch mine for a moment. I placed my hand on his chest as he cradled my face in his hand. "Will you go on a date with me?" He asked out of the blue. I couldn't help but laugh at his silly question. "What?" I responded as he ran his hand down the side of my arm until he found my fingers. "Will you go on a date with me?" He asked again.

"It's not like we can go on a real date." I said, laughing again. We can't go to dinner and a movie, unless we want to be dinner for the walkers. I shuddered at that thought.

"You let me worry about that, I just want to know if you want to." He said, as the truck came to a stop. We were in a clearing not ten minutes from Hershel's home, but it was far enough away the sound of the guns wouldn't threaten the safety of the farm. Bash jumped down out of the truck and held his hand up to help me as well. I jumped down and ended up falling into his chest. He caught me by wrapping his hands around my waist. "Well, answer the question princess." He said, as I bit my lip.

"I'll think about it and get back to you." I said, as I patted him on the chest and headed off with the others. He laughed and caught up to me and shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek before running ahead to catch up with Carl. I glanced back at Bash to see his eyes glued to me.

"Hey buddy." I said, as I wrapped my arms around Carl's shoulders. He looked up at me under the brim of his hat and laughed as I attempted to pick him. The kid was heavy. That and my side was still really weak. Carl laughed and hugged my side as we listened to Rick and Shane give us the rundown on gun training. "I get to learn to shoot. I want to help find Sophia." Carl informed me as Shane handed out weapons he thought would work well for each person.

"That's great. You have to respect it though, you know that right?" I asked, kneeling down to his level. He nodded his head as Rick came over to give him a small pistol. It was just the right size for his tiny little hands. Shane had set up glass bottles and tin cans along the fence posts twenty feet in front of us for target practice. I stood with Carl and watched him take a few shots, he wasn't a bad shooter. He hit the can two out of four times.

The sound of the guns firing rattled my ear drums. I watched Bash fire a few rounds hitting his target every single time. I'll admit it, he looked sexy as hell standing there shooting. I felt my cheeks get warm when he stopped to reload his gun. He walked over towards me and handed it to me. It wasn't heavy but it wasn't light either. It was a completely foreign object to me though. The only gun I'd ever shot was playing Call of Duty with Merle and Daryl. I looked at Bash as he raised his eyebrows and motioned for me to take a turn. He guided me to the end of the line and explained to me how to take it apart and reassemble it.

"Alright, take your best shot." He said, stepping backwards a few feet. I glanced down at the gun in my hand and remembered being shot. The scenes of me falling and landing on the ground played back in fast forward in my mind. I cleared my throat and raised the weapon in my hand and tried to set my sights on one of the brown glass beer bottles.

"You need to raise your arms up a little higher." Shane said, as he walked past me to check on Andrea. Bash walked up behind me and lifted my arms up just slightly so the sight was even with the beer bottle. "Like that." He said, as he placed his hand on my hip gently turning me towards the target a little more. "Now shoot." He whispered.

"I can't do anything with your hand on my hip." I said, biting the inside of my lip as he through his hands up in surrender and backed away. He laughed and waited for me to take my shot. I raised the weapon again and closed my eyes and shot. I felt the gun kick back lightly as my finger released off the trigger. I'd missed my target. Damn.

"It might help if you keep your eyes open, babe." Bash said, as he played with a loose string on his shirt. I rolled my eyes at him and tried again, this time keeping my eyes open. I shot at the bottle a few times before it actually busted. "Holy crap!" I exclaimed, laughing. I actually hit the bottle. I handed Bash his gun back so he could reload the clip and was quite pleased with myself for hitting the target, finally.

"You should stick to knifing walkers." Bash teased, as I smacked him on the arm.

"I was not that bad!" I defend myself, placing my hands on my hips and giving him the most serious face I could muster up.

"So my answer is yes to the date." I said, as Bash cocked his head to the side and kissed me on the lips quickly before we went back to practicing. I kept noticing how much Shane was watching Lori and Rick. It wasn't normal the way he looked at them. Lori never did tell me wither she was pregnant or not. Not that it was any of my business. Everyone practiced for about two hours before we eventually went back to camp.


	23. Chapter 23

**This chapter got really long! Sorry guys! LOL. Hope you enjoy! Would love to know what you think of the story and my OC's so far! **

**Zombiiegirl: I think you'll like this chapter and the next! :)**

**Chapter 23**

**Riley's Point of View**

When we got back to camp I checked on Daryl, he was crashed out in the tent still sleeping. I saw Lori rinsing out a pan near the fire and walked over towards her and sat down next to her. She greeted me with a warm smile. "How are you feeling?" I asked, as I dried one of the pans.

"The test was positive." She whispered, causing my eyes to dart up to meet her own.

"What did Rick say?" I asked, turning to face her more.

"I didn't tell him, yet. I need this to stay between us." Lori said, looking at me sternly. I nodded my head in agreement. Why wouldn't she just tell him though? Unless I was right and there's a possibility the baby could be Shane's and not Ricks. This is just going to be wonderful…

"You have to tell him, Lori. You need someone to take care of you and the baby. I can go into town if you need something. It's not a problem." I whispered, as Glenn walked by. He was still acting weird. He'd skipped out on target practice to hang with Dale and work on the RV.

"I appreciate that sweetheart, but you let me worry about it." Lori said, before standing up and heading off towards the pastures. My head sunk into my hands as I took a few deep breathes. We can hardly keep ourselves alive, and now a small baby? How is that supposed to work?

After finishing up drying the pans Lori had left behind I headed off to find Bash. He was sitting under a willow tree with his sketch pad. He gave me a small smile as I settled down on the ground next to him. The wind blew and rustled the leaves above our heads as I rested my head on Bash's shoulder. "What are you drawing?" I asked quietly looking up at him.

He pushed his notebook over so I could see what he was working on, I sat up and took the book in my hands and traced my finger over all of the intricate lines of the trees he had drawn. They were beautiful.

"These are really good!" I smirked as I decided to check out the rest of the drawings in his book. As I attempted to turn the pages he reached over and tried to snatch the book back. "No, give it back. The rest of them suck." He pleaded. I laughed as he wrapped his arms around me in his attempts to steal it away from me.

"Why won't you let me see them?" I laughed out, as I managed to scramble to my feet with the book. Bash got to his feet and stepped forward, inching closer to me as he stared at me. I held the book out away from me, "Come and get it!" I grinned as he chuckled and chased after me. I'd almost made it back to his tent when I felt his arms wrap around my waist. I squealed as he carried me into his tent and tossed me down gently on the blankets. He ran his hands up my sides as I squirmed and laughed trying to break free from him.

"Okay, I surrender!" I said, as I let the book fall out of my hand so he would stop tickling me. He laughed and shoved the book out of my reach and then leaned down to kiss me on the lips. In all our joking around I hadn't even noticed that he had landed on top of me. Bash pulled out of our kiss and caressed my cheek pulling me into a more assertive kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through the back of his hair as he kissed the side of my neck and nibbled on my ear, causing me to giggle. Bash worked his way back to my lips and grazed his tongue over my lip, so I would allow him to kiss me that way. Every ounce of me wanted to be with him. Another part of me didn't want to move to fast with him either, he was still keeping certain things from me and I don't understand why. I mean I do, but I thought we had grown pretty close…

Bash continued to kiss me as I felt him run his hand down my side and then felt him beginning to unbutton my plaid shirt. I felt him slipping it off my shoulder and letting it fall off my arms beneath me. "Bash," I whispered, as he shoved his hand up under the hem of my shirt. His hand was rough and warm against my skin. I felt a flutter in my lower stomach and knew we needed to slow things down. He kissed me on the lips and pushed his hand up further under my shirt grazing my bra. I placed a hand on his chest and made him stop and look at me.

When he did he grinned and lowered his head, "I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away." He said, lifting his head back up. I smirked and nodded my head. "It's alright. I just…I…I don't want to move to fast." I whispered as he slowly removed his hand from beneath my cotton shirt. He nodded his head in agreement and rolled onto his back beside me out of breath. I watched as he ran his hands down the sides of his face sighing. "Are you mad?" I asked, fearing he wouldn't like me if I didn't sleep with him.

"No. I'm not mad at you at all." He replied, turning his head to look at me. Bash reached over and caressed my cheek again as I bit my lip. No one has ever looked at me the way he does, and that terrifies the crap out of me.

"We can go as slow as you want." He whispered back as I curled into his side. We laid there for a little while just talking about random little things that meant nothing, but somehow they meant everything. Bash had dozed off holding me in his arms. I didn't even need to look at him to know he was asleep, his breathing had slowed down and I could hear his light snoring that I'd grown to find comforting.

I was running my fingers up and down the protruding veins on his arm when I heard rustling behind our tent. I could hear two people whispering but had a hard time distinguishing who it was until they spoke a little louder. It was Rick and Lori. Maybe she was getting ready to tell him about the baby… I wasn't ease dropping, but it was kind of hard not to hear what they were saying…

"Hershel expects us to leave?" Lori asked.

"Does anybody else know?" Lori pressed again when Rick didn't respond…

"Not yet." Rick replied, you could hear the desperation in his voice.

Gradually I slipped out of Bash's grasp and sat up to listen a little better. Hershel doesn't want us here on his land, which means we're going to have to go back out on the road. My stomach twisted in knots as I continued to listen to them speaking outside.

"Not long, you don't need to worry about this." Rick reassured her. Yeah, right. Don't worry everything will be perfectly fine when we all die on the road I thought to myself.

"How can you expect me not worry? We have shelter here, and food and water, and medical care. You're telling me not to worry!" Lori said, her voice rising with anger. "People are settling in here. They'll be devastated!" She went on. I seriously wanted to vomit right now at the thought of having to leave this place. It was safe here, for all of us. Including Lori's unborn child.

"I know. I'm working on it. Right now we just need to give Hershel some space. It's not carved in stone." Rick said, as felt Dog laid his head on my lap.

I rubbed behind his ears and fought the tears that had formed in my eyes. We can't leave. Sophia is missing. Daryl and I are both hurt and healing. Carl is still healing. I know if we left Daryl would do everything in his power to keep us safe like he always has, but it feels like we can finally breathe here or it did. Now it feels like someone knocked the wind out of me. I'd sort of zoned the rest of Rick and Lori's conversation out.

"Come on boy. Let's go for a walk." I whispered to Dog as I led him out of the tent. I stared at Bash for a moment before leaving him.

If we had to leave the farm Daryl would probably want to strike out on our again, he'd say we're better off by ourselves. Maybe he's right, but now I have Bash. Would he come with us? Would Daryl even let him? Where would we go? We have nowhere else to go… I wiped the tears off my cheeks as I watched Dog frolic in the field before me. I found a stick and threw it a few times in a row. Each time he came panting back with it. I laughed and rubbed his head again.

I played with Dog for an hour or so, when I noticed Bash had woken up. He was helping Glenn cut fire wood the last time I had peeked at him over my shoulder. He caught me staring at him once and gave me one of his trade mark smirks that I loved. I almost hated that I'd let myself start to fall for him, hell who am I kidding I'm probably already in love with him. The air had warmed up considerably for the day but the sky had a grey overcast about it today. It gave me an eerie feeling as I watched the storm clouds roll across the afternoon sky. We're definitely on the edge of a thunderstorm…

"Riley." I heard Lori's voice as I turned around to face her. She doesn't know I know we might have to leave. I've have learned to many secrets in the past 48 hours. I have a feeling my heads going to explode.

"What's up?" I asked, as she walked with me along the broken down wooden fence. "I've been thinking about what you said, about me needing help. You're right, I do." Lori said, touching my arm and pulling me to a stop. I looked at her sad expression and already had a feeling of what she was going to ask me to do.

"Anything you need. I'll help you." I said, as she gave me a curt smile and pulled me into a hug. Lori is the closest thing I've had to having a mother in my life. Her hug was warm and inviting and comforting. "I need you to make a run into to town for me, but I don't want you going alone. Take one of the boys with you, Glenn or Bash." She whispered as she quietly cried on my shoulder.

As she pulled away she slipped a piece of paper into my hand. I carefully opened the piece of paper, _morning after pills _it read, just as I had anticipated. I nodded my head and hugged her again, "Thank you!" She whispered, as she squeezed my hand and headed off to find Carl. I slipped the piece of paper in my back pocket and headed off to find Maggie, hopefully she'd let me borrow a horse to head into town. She owed me for keeping my mouth shut about the barn.

I stopped next to Bash as I went by, and pulled him off the side. He already knew something was wrong by the way he looked at me; he placed his hand on my hip and looked at me. "Will you make a run into town with me?" I asked, as I spotted Maggie stepping off the porch. "Yeah, but what for?" He asked, stepping back and wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. He leaned down on the axe he had in his hand.

"Meet me by the horse barn in twenty minutes." I instructed, before going off to find a bag. I made sure I had my knife in my boot and then headed off to find Maggie. She let me borrow to horses, and avoided all of my questions about the walkers in the barn, except she practically bit my head off for calling them walkers. I guess she doesn't really see them for what they really are. I led the horses out of the gate and saddled them up with Bash and we were off.

The ride into town was quiet; I wasn't really in the mood for talking so I didn't mind the silence. It wasn't awkward with Bash though, it felt normal and comfortable. "What does she want now?" Bash said, as he trotted up beside me. I glanced at him, "Morning after pill." I replied shortly. I heard him make an incoherent sound, and watched him shake his head.

"Why is she sending you? Why doesn't she get I don't know her husband to do it?" He mouthed off to me. I could feel him rolling his eyes. Lori trusts me, that's why she asked me to go.

"You didn't have to come." I countered back, harsher then I intended to, but whatever.

"Right, like I would let you go by yourself." He retorted, causing me to glare at him.

"I'm not a child I don't you to babysit me. If you didn't want to come you could have said no, and stayed back at camp." I hissed at him.

"She should have sent her boy toy Shane to do it. It's probably his kid anyway from what you've told me." He half laughed it out. I pulled my horse to a stop and shot him a dirty look.

"Would you just stop, okay!" I yelled back at him. He shook his head as we continued to make our way into to town.

"What's your problem? You're being all bitchy." He said, as I rolled my eyes at his tone. We were both just annoying the hell out of each other. The only reason I'm acting like a bitch is because he's being an ass and all I want to do is curl in ball and never get up. But I'm not going to do that. Maybe it would be better if we left the farm; I mean they do have a barn full of freaking walkers… We made it into town and stopped in front of the pharmacy. I swear I actually saw a tumble weed drifting across the deserted street as I hopped down off my horse.

Bash stared at me while we tied our horses to the white wrought iron railing outside of the pharmacy, "Maybe I'm just a bitch. Maybe you don't know me that well." I shot at him, as I pushed the door open. The bells chimed and jangled over our heads as we walked through. We walked down separate aisles and stared at each other every once in a while. I headed to the back to look for the morning after pill. I made my way around the counter and slammed a basket down on the counter and piled in a few antibiotics I thought we might need.

I crept around a few of the white shelves and stood there trying to find the pills I was looking for. I've never had to buy anything like this, so I am clueless as to where the hell they would keep it. Plus, the light backing here sucked ass. I picked up a bottle and it read hydro-something I couldn't pronounce. As I moved on to the next bottle I felt something grab my arm causing me to scream. It was a walker.

I screamed and tried to pull my arm away from it. But it held its grasp, "Bash!" I screamed, yanking and pulling as hard as I possibly could. It moaned and hissed, and the part of it touching my arm felt cold and almost like it was crisped or something. "Bash!" I cried out again, as I finally broke free. I saw Bash searching for something to hit it with, when I remembered my knife. As I reached down for it Bash swung one of the shelves and sliced it right in the neck. I stumbled backwards as it fell to the ground, blood squirting everywhere. I cried as Bash wrapped me up in his arms.

"It's okay! Did it bite you? Did it get you?" He asked, as he furiously checked me over. He ran his hands and eyes over my entire body before he pulled me into him again, I cried into his chest. When I opened my eyes I noticed the walker had gotten to its feet again. "B…B…Bash!" I cried out pointing behind him. He turned around and slammed his knife into the walkers head repeatedly.

The tears rolled down my face as I slid to the floor behind the counter and covered my head. I felt Bash kneel down beside me and looked up at him. He took my face in his hands, "It's okay. You're safe. You're okay." He said, trying to calm me down. I shook my head repeatedly, as he pulled me to my feet.

"No, I'm far from okay!" I cried, as I headed back outside. He followed after me, grabbing my arm once we were outside.

"Riley, you need to calm down. It's alright." He said, holding my arms as I looked around in a panic.

"It's not okay! Don't you get that? It's not safe, it'll never be safe. Anywhere, Hershel wants us to leave the farm. Lori's pregnant with who knows whose baby. Sophia is still missing or most likely dead by now! There is no safe place in this world!" I yelled, as I cried and finally let him pull me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

"Listen to me…there is no safer place for you to be other than right here in my arms. You will always be safe and protected with me Riley, no matter what happens. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you, I promise." He said, as he tilted my head up to look at him. He wiped away the tears that streaked my face.

"Whenever you don't feel safe, you just come find me and I'll tell you otherwise." He said, as he leaned his head into mine. I took a few deep breathes and tried to control my blubbering like a total child. Bash pulled me into a kiss looked into my eyes and I believed every word he said to me…. He stood there holding me while the evening sun beat down on us. I took a few more deep breathes and stepped back.

Bash wiped my cheeks with the edge of his finger and looked down at me, "We'll be okay. I promise. You're the best thing that's ever been mine, you hear me?" He whispered, as I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. After a few minutes of kissing and calming down we headed back inside to gather our supplies.

The ride back to the farm was slow and steady. I told Bash everything I'd heard Rick and Lori say earlier. He assured me once again that everything would be alright. How he can be so optimistic is beyond me. We were heading up the gravel road to the farm when we heard a crack of thunder in the distance.

"I'm sorry I was a bitch." I whispered, as we boarded the horses back up in the barn. He kissed my cheek and through his arm around my shoulder as we walked back to camp. I took the pills and went to find Lori. She was sitting inside her tent at the little makeshift table inside.

Lori immediately rose to her feet and checked me over when she saw the blood spatters all over my white shirt. "I'm fine. It's fine." I said, nodding as she sat back down. She was clearly overwhelmed with the decision she was about to make.

"I never should have sent you." Lori whispered out, looking at me with apologetic eyes. I kneeled down beside the table next to her and placed the pills in front of her. I don't blame her for wanting to end her pregnancy. What kind of a life would like kid have in a world like this?

"Will the morning after pills even work?" I asked, as she held my hand.

"I don't know. I'm not completely sure I want them too." She breathed out, her hands were shaking as she pulled the pills out of the white bag and looked at them. I don't blame her for wanting to end it, but part of me thinks everything deserves a small chance. I reached down into my bad and pulled out a bottle of prenatal vitamins and set them down in front of her.

"I got these too. Just in case." I whispered.

"I can't tell you what to do. But I'll support whatever decision you make, I just don't know if you should make this decision alone." I said, squeezing her hand. It's a hell of a choice, morning after pill or prenatal vitamins. I'm glad it's not me, because I don't know what I would do. It's another reason I don't want to rush things with Bash… "Do you want me to stay?" I asked.

"No, honey. You've done enough. I never should have put this on you." Lori said, hiding her tears. I let her be alone after that. I went to check on Daryl and found him lounging in a camping chair by the fire. I was about to go change out of the bloody shirt I still had on when Bash caught my hip and held his hand there for a moment.

"Meet me by the horse barn for our date later. You might want to clean yourself up a little though; I do have a reputation to uphold." He whispered, before walking away. I laughed as I watched him walk away and look back stealing glances at me.

He was right though I probably looked disgusting. I looked through my bag of clothes and pulled out a purple and black flowered dress that I'd kept when we were searching the cars on the highway. It was light and my size so I figured why not. I put it on and lifted the edge of the dress up and let it fall. It fell just above my knees and flowed out loosely around my waist. I brushed my hair out as much as possible and opted to pull it into a messy bun.

I came outside and Daryl immediately had to say something, "What are you all dressed up for." He scoffed, eating dinner and glaring at me. I rolled my eyes and stole a handful of chips off of his plate. "Maybe I wanted to look nice." I shot back at him.

It was late in the evening; the sun was already setting turning the sky grey as it faded into the night. You could still hear thunder rumbling off in the distance, and smell rain in the air. The leaves were all turned up indicating they were thirsty for the rain that was sure to come soon. The crickets and cicadas were singing loudly tonight as well. I found Bash by the barn and my heart skipped a beat. He greeted me with a smile that sent my heart beating wildly. He looked at me like I was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

I stopped in front of him and looked myself over, eventually meeting his gaze. He gave me the one over and his eyes lingered on my legs. "You look…beautiful." He whispered taking my hand in his. He placed his hand on my side and then twirled me around sending my dress up slightly as I twirled in the breeze. I laughed as kissed my bare shoulder.

"So, I want you to pretend that for one night everything in the world is normal and this is just a typical first date." He stated as he held my hand and led me through the fields near the barn. "Okay, well if this is a typical date then it's only customary that we shouldn't kiss until you walk me to the door at the end of the night or in this case tent door." I laughed, causing him to grin.

"You won't make it." He said, placing his hand on the small of my back.

"Cocky much?" I quipped back at him.

"I bet you can't make it until the end of the date." I said, stopping to look at him. He looked off in the distance and smirked. "You're on." He agreed. Then he placed his hands over my eyes, "What are you doing?" I chuckled.

"It's a surprise." He whispered in my ear as he led me wherever we were going. I could feel him breathing on the back of my neck as we walked. I kept stumbling over rocks until he eventually picked me up and carried me bridal style, instructing me to keep my eyes closed or he would drop me. He carried me for a few minutes then gently stood me back up keeping his arms wrapped around me.

"You can open your eyes." He whispered. When I did I saw Hershel's blue pickup truck parked in middle of a field away from the house and camp. There were pillows and sleeping bags and blankets piled into the back of it. He wanted us to look at the stars together. He actually planned all of this out…


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

**Riley's Point of View**

I can't believe he planned this entire thing out and put this much effort into creating a first date for us. It's not a lot, but it's so perfect. I felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I bit my lip and glanced at Bash standing beside me. I felt a lump form in the back of my throat and tried to swallow it away. Bash looked at me concerned and cradled the sides of my cheeks with his hands. "I'm sorry." I breathed out, as he rubbed away a loose tear with his thumb. "No one has ever done anything this special for me…" I whispered, as he pressed his lips against mine.

"Well now they have." He whispered as he slid his hands down and interlocked our fingers together, leaning his forehead into mine. His breath was warm and smelled a little bit like cigarette smoke. We stood there gazing at each other for a few seconds before climbing up into the bed of the truck.

The moon was chasing the sun away as the sky turned from a greyish purple to a dark blue. We lied back on the sleeping bags and blankets and stared at the impending night sky. The air had cooled down and the trees were rocked by a steady breeze. Bash turned his head to look at me and took my hand in his own and I felt my heart do complete somersaults in my chest. He was perfect. He sighed then let go of my hand sitting up, he reached over into a bag and pulled out his sketch book.

He stared at it for a few minutes before he handed it over towards me. I sat up next to him and placed the book in my lap and looked at him curiously. What is he doing? Earlier he practically ripped it out of my hands and now he's giving it to me willingly? Bash turned to face me a little more and said, "You can look at them all now."

"Are you sure? I was only joking earlier. If you don't want me to see them I don't have too." I reassured him; he nodded his head no and opened the book for me. I glanced down at the pages before me and looked at all of his amazing artwork. There were landscape drawings and monsters, walkers with even worse disfigured faces. "Wow, there incredible." I whispered, as I came towards the back of the book.

The last three drawings in the back of the book were of me… except they were from before. They were from when I was in high school. The one showed me sitting on the brick wall in the courtyard of our high school reading a book. He captured every detail of me. I glanced at Bash as I flipped the page and saw another one of myself in the library… and the last one showed me and what looked like my dad, except he was distorted and more of a monster than a person… It wasn't that far off from the reality that was him. "Y…Y…You drew me, before?" I stuttered the words out as I looked up at him.

Bash seemed a little uncomfortable; I could tell by the way he was picking at his finger nails. He lowered his head for a moment then met my eyes. "I did. I know it's weird that's why I didn't want you to see them." He said, looking down again. He was embarrassed; his cheeks were turning a shade of red beneath his tan skin. "Why? Why me?" I asked, inspecting the drawings once again.

"I saw your dad grab you in the parking lot that day at school. I watched the whole thing happen right in front of me and I didn't do anything. I should have helped you. After that I just kept my eye on you, watched over you I guess. It's weird and creepy I know." He replied, as I closed the sketch book. I honestly didn't know what to think of him semi stalking me in high school. If I didn't know him, it would be creepy, but I do know him. Bash looked at me with his smoldering brown eyes and my heart melted. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for showing them to me." I whispered in his ear as he caressed my cheek. He let out a breath, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

We lied back and watched the lightning strike across the sky in the distance. I curled into his side and felt his strong arm wrap around me tightly. Something wicked was definitely brewing in the atmosphere as a loud crack of thunder vibrated the truck we were lying in. I flinched and felt Bash rub my arm and smiled to myself. I don't care if we get soaked I wouldn't move from this spot if my life depended on it. Okay, maybe then.

I'd moved and sat in between Bash's legs so I could doodle in his sketch book. He placed his hand on my stomach and held the book with the other while I attempted to copy one of his drawings. He chuckled every time I screwed up and had to erase something. He kissed the back of my neck and shoulders sending shivers down my spine. It was incredibly difficult to focus on drawing whenever I could feel his lips graze across the back of my shoulder. "Why'd you pick a ladybug for a tattoo?" He asked, as he kissed the tiny insect tattoo on the back of my neck. I turned my head slightly to look at him, as he brushed some of my golden locks behind my ear.

"When I was little, before my mom left I was maybe three or four. We were sitting on our porch in the middle of summer and it was one of those rare occasions my mom wasn't wasted, she picked me up and rocked me in one of the rocking chairs. This lady bug just out of the blue flew and landed on my hand." I explained, as he wrapped his arms around me once again. I settled into him resting my head against his chest once again.

"My mom told me lady bugs bring good luck. That I would always be her lucky ladybug. It was a good memory so I just wanted to remember it I guess." I continued, half laughing at how idiotic it sounded. Bash kissed the side of my head. "It's sweet." He replied.

I wanted to ask about his family so much, but it's so painful for him to talk about them I'm not bringing it up.

The wind picked up and blew my hair all over the place as well as the end of my dress. I shouldn't have worn a dress. I held my hand on the end of my dress to keep it from flying up. Bash laughed as he carefully got himself to his feet. He was so tall and handsome as hell staring down at me. He's so bad but he does it so well. "Dance with me?" He asked, holding his hand out to help me up. I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet in one swift movement.

"There's no music." I laughed, as I placed my hands on his shoulders and he rested his hands on my waist line.

"We can make our own music." He whispered in my ear before gently kissing it. We stood there and swayed to beat of no music, just the sound of our heartbeats and thunder as it rolled closer. He held on tight to me as I felt my mind starting to spin out of control at his touch. How is it possible that life couldn't be worse but it couldn't be better?

I shifted and rested my head in the crook of his neck as he slipped his arms around me. Is this what falling in love with someone feels like? If it is, it's a pretty nice feeling. Because I think I just might already be falling for him. Bash rubbed circles on the back of my shoulder with his thumb as I snuggled into his chest more and more. He nudged the side of my face with his causing me to look at him, "You're my best friend." I whispered as he caressed my cheek.

"You're mine." He replied, as our noses touched as he leaned in like he was about to kiss me. He was trying not to because of our wager. He couldn't resist though.

"Screw it." He mumbled before I felt his lips against my own. It was a long slow kiss that I didn't want to end. I placed my hands on the sides of his neck and cradled his face as his hands slid to my waist. I stood on my tiptoes to reach him as he held me tightly against his body. The sky flickered and a crack of thunder boomed right after, then I felt a cold wetness hit my shoulder. Then another and another until it was a total downpour.

We stopped kissing long enough to look up at the sky, the fresh rain soaking us. Bash looked at me and smirked as he kissed me. He pushed me out away from him gently and spun me an a circle as the rain continued to pour down on top of us. I laughed as he yanked me into his chest once again. We danced in the rain and forgot about everything terrible for just a little while. Eventually Bash and I ran back to our tent hand in hand.

Streaks of lightning lit up the night sky as we made it back into our camp. Bash pulled me into his tent as we continued to kiss and laugh. "You look like a wet cat!" He joked as he searched for a jacket to wrap around me. He rubbed the sides of my arms and tried to dry me off. It was already so late. If I stumbled into my tent Daryl would just give me a bunch of crap about it.

"You want the top or the bottom?" Bash asked, a wide grin spread across his face as he held up a pair of pajamas he pulled out of his bag. I laughed slightly then sort of lost my words. Was he serious? He laughed and handed me a long sleeve shirt, "I'm kidding." He said, lifting his shirt up over his head. He stared at me for a moment before pulling on a grey t shirt. I looked away so he could finish changing into a pair of black basketball shorts. He flopped down on the ground and played with his last cigarette.

"Can you turn around so I can change?" I asked innocently. He smirked and kept his eyes locked on me. I rolled my eyes and pulled the long sleeve shirt on over my dress, then reached under it and slid my arms out of the dress letting it fall to my feet. The shirt just covered my butt and fell right at my mid thigh. I raised my eyebrows at him as I sat down on my knees next to him.

We both laid back and listened to the rain beat against the roof of the tent. I was lying on my side facing Bash when I felt his hand touch my bare thigh under the blanket we were sharing. He gently slid it up higher reaching under the hem of my shirt. "Bash!" I laughed out, because it tickled. He leaned over and kissed me as he pulled his hand out from under my shirt and the blanket. "Fine. I'll behave. But you should no that it's extremely hard to do so." He complained as I giggled again. I curled into his side and felt him hold me close to him. I yawned as he kissed the top of my hair. It had fallen down, so he was running his fingers through it. "Thank you for our date." I whispered as my eyes became heavier and heavier.

"Best first date of my life." He replied, as his breathing slowed down. His entire body was relaxing which meant he was falling asleep. Whatever happened something told me we'd all face it together. I peeked up and looked at Bash when I was sure he was asleep and knew I wasn't falling in love with him. I was in love with him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry I haven't been posting as much Zombiiegirl! Hope this makes up for it! Keep an eye out for more chapters soon, I promise to update again before the end of the weekend! Enjoy! :) **

**Chapter 25**

**Riley's Point of View**

I could still smell the rain in the air as I turned into Bash's chest. He instinctively placed his arm around me as I cuddled up next to him once again. We'd both tossed and turned all night unable to get comfortable. I shivered as the morning air cut through the tent. "Are you warm enough?" He whispered as he sleepily pulled his half of the blanket over on me. "I'm okay." I mumbled, half asleep. He chuckled softly as my drowsy response. Bash turned on his side so he was facing me as I burrowed into his chest.

He ran his hand up and down my arm trying to generate heat. "You know if you're cold, there's a great way two people can generate body heat." He said, I could already sense the smirk on his face without even opening my eyes. "You're terrible." I replied as I opened my eyes to his sweet smiling face. He leaned downed and kissed me on the lips for a moment before releasing me. I couldn't help but smile back at him like an idiot. It was still early in the morning, because the only sound outside came from the crickets chirping. Bash traced my jaw line with his finger as we lied there in silence and stared at each other. Slowly he moved closer towards me as I closed the gap between us. He kissed me gently on the lips and then he ran his lips down the side of my neck, nibbling on my ear gently before returning to my lips. He caressed my cheek as he slowly slipped his tongue into my mouth.

Everything in me came alive when we were like this. He ran his hands through my hair as I worked his shirt up over his chest, then he pulled it the rest of the way off. He immediately continued kissing me as he ran his hand along my side under the blanket, touching my bare thigh. I felt my legs tighten at his touch and knew we needed to stop. It's too soon for this, but it feels so right with him. He shoved his hand under the hem of my shirt and grazed my breast as he continued to kiss me furiously. Things have escalated quickly that's for sure. He wanted this almost as much as I did, I just couldn't yet. "Bash, I can't." I breathed between kisses; he pulled back and looked at me with a hunger in his eyes. "I'm not ready." I told him as he pulled back again.

"Have you ever?" He asked, as I looked at him nervously. He bit his lip and went in for another small kiss. I ran my hands through the back of his hair and shuddered at his touch. "I think you already know the answer to that." I said, as he smirked and licked the side of my neck and kissed my ear again.

"Have you?" I asked, after a moment. I wanted to mentally slap myself for even asking the question. He definitely has experience, I can tell from the way he's dominating me right now. Bash laughed and looked at me. "Yeah, I've got some experience." He laughed out, as I shoved his shoulder back slightly.

"How many times have you?" I asked curiously. He had to have been a total player in high school. I mean he was on the basketball team and had girls flaunting all over him. Not that I ever noticed or anything, okay I did notice. Bash stopped kissing me and laid on his back and stared at me.

"You want before the apocalypse numbers or after?" He said, looking at my lips. I felt a flutter in my lower stomach and rolled over onto his chest and rested my chin on his shoulder. "Before." I replied, as he looked up and tried to mentally calculate his conquest's in his head. I laughed as he rubbed his hand up my back. "One... No wait, three. I've been with no… It's five. I've been with five people." He said, nodding as he looked at me. He really does have experience. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. "And after?" I whispered, feeling extremely nervous that his hand was resting on my lower back. He smirked and tilted my chin up towards his, "Well hopefully just one." He whispered seductively pulling me in for a kiss.

"Nice try." I said, dodging his kiss and lying on my back, he through his hands in the air and laughed shaking his head. "Do I even have a shot?" He asked, turning on his side to face me again. He propped himself up on his elbow and intertwined his fingers with mine. I rolled my eyes and laughed, "Your chances are slim." I replied, as he scoffed and looked at me a mischievous grin inching across his face. He slipped his hand to my ribcage and a firmly placed my hand on his arm to keep him from tickling me. "Don't do it!" I demanded, staring him directly in the eye.

"You know that's fine. I guess I can always hook up with Maggie. I mean she's got that whole hot farmers daughter thing going on." He said, smirking and picturing her in his head. I felt my cheeks get warm and I smacked his chest. I scoffed and pushed him on his back.

"Wouldn't that ruin your bromance with Glenn?" I mocked him, picking at the corner of the blanket that was covering me. Bash laughed and I smiled. "Hey! Bros before hoes!" He laughed out, as he rolled on top of me. I squealed and pushed him off of me or tried to. He was stronger than me. His arm muscles flexed as he kept me pinned down. "Look at you getting all jealous." He teased, squeezing my sides.

"I am not jealous!" I informed him as I placed my hands around his neck. He grinned and kissed me lightly on the lips. "You know I only want you, Riles." He said softly. I looked away for a second. Why would he want me? If he sees all the scars he'll think I'm disgusting, I'm sure of it. That's another reason I don't want to sleep with him, because then he'll see everything… "Do you?" I whispered, as he smiled, "Of course." He replied.

We lied there and listened to everyone get up for the day. I finally detangled myself from Bash so he could get dressed. He slipped on his jeans and pulled a black Metallica shirt over his head and then grabbed my bag out of Daryl's tent so I could change. "Thank you." I smiled as he set it on the ground beside me. He left me to get myself together for the day. I pulled on a pair of grey ripped up jeans and a black tank top, I snagged one of Bash's plaid button ups and pulled it on to knock off the chill I had before stepping out of the tent and sitting next to him on a log while Carol served breakfast.

Daryl rolled his eyes at us while he ate and I ignored him. I rested my head on Bash's shoulder and ate quietly. Maybe he wouldn't care about the scars on my back from my father. Maybe he'd still like me… I thought as he placed his hand on my back. There was a tension in the air as we all sat around the fire eating. Glenn rose to his feet and walked towards the center of the group… Oh no…

"Umm… Guys? The barn's full of walkers." Glenn blurted out; causing me to cough out a few bites of egg I'd just taken. Dammit Glenn. Everyone immediately locked eyes with Glenn and looked at one another, as if they hadn't just heard the words that flew out of his mouth. This isn't going to go over well. I glanced at Bash as he shook his head, as in pretend you didn't know. Rick and Shane shared a worried look and then set off for the barn, everyone else trailing close behind. I held Bash's hand as we stopped a few feet in front of the barn. You could already hear the walkers inside moaning and hissing. Shane stepped forward and peeked inside the barn through an opening in the wood just as Bash had done the night I told him… Shane shook his head disgusted.

"You cannot tell me you are okay with this?" Shane spewed as he marched back towards Rick. He was livid. The veins in the side of his neck were already popping out. "No, I am not okay with this. But we are guest's here, this isn't our land." Rick hissed as he stared at the barn in disbelief. Shane scoffed and stormed off just to push his way in between Bash and I to get back in the center of the group.

"This is our lives man!" Shane practically yelled. His outburst was sending the walkers in the barn into a frenzy on the inside. "Lower your voice!" I hissed, as Bash clasped his hand around mine again. "We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea said from behind me. I ran my hand through my hair and looked at Daryl who wasn't saying much.

"We've either got to go in there or we've got to go make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time." Shane insisted, as removed his cap and then placed it back on his head again. He was clearly panicked like the rest of us, but it seemed so extreme.

"We can't. We can't go!" Rick replied, shifting his weight back and forth from foot to foot. He glanced at Lori and I knew he didn't want to leave because of Lori's pregnancy.

"Why Rick? Why?" Shane yelled.

"Because my daughter is still out there!" Carol shrieked, speaking up for the first time. Shane shook his head annoyed and disgusted by her words. Standing her watching Shane act this way makes me wonder why the hell he volunteered to go after medical supplies for me… He's such an asshole.

"I think it's time that we all just start to consider the other possibility." Shane said looking at everyone. He thinks she's dead. He's right it's a possibility that she could be but there's also the chance that she could still be out there, all alone.

"I'm so close to finding the girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago!" Daryl hollered as he threw his hand in the air. He went towards Shane but I stepped in front of him and placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"You found a damn doll! You know if she saw you coming at her all methed out with fucking geek ears around your neck, she would have run in the other direction!" Shane yelled back. Tensions were high and we were all coming to a breaking point. Daryl shoved me back causing me to fall on the ground and slammed Shane in the chest as Bash and Rick tried to get in the middle and break it up. Lori helped me to my feet and everyone began screaming and yelling at one another. I scraped my elbow and wiped the blood on my jeans.

The barn doors rattled and the chains became taught on the doors as the walkers inside became riled up from all the noise. That was the only thing that caused Daryl and Shane to stop going at each other. We stood there silently and listened to the nerve ending moans echoing from inside. I seriously wanted to vomit right now. Lori asked me to walk Carll back up to camp so that's what I did. I rolled my eyes as the men continued to go at each other. I was half tempted to just hand over a knife and let them go at each other.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Riley's Point of View**

I'm actually relieved that everyone knows about the barn now. They can worry about like Glenn, Bash and I have for three days now. I'm starting to think it would have been better if Shane didn't know though. He's always so gung ho about everything; he never accesses the situation he just acts, like a few minutes. He's ready to go in there guns blazing and clear the barn. Newsflash despite what everyone thinks we're guests here until Hershel decides it's time for us to go, which will probably be very soon now. I slung my arm over Carl's shoulder as we headed back towards our camp.

He sighed as we trudged through the tall grass. I messed his hair up and caused him to look at me and stick out his tongue, so I mimicked him and then we both laughed. "It's going to be okay. My dad will fix this. I know he will." Carl said, as if he were reassuring me. Was I that obvious? I've been worried to death for three days wondering what was going to happen to us all. "I hope your right Carl." I replied, quietly. We were halfway up the hill and could still here them arguing and shouting back at the barn. Well if Hershel doesn't know we know, he will now I thought spotting Maggie on the porch to the farm house.

"Why don't we work on some of your school stuff for a bit?" I suggested as Carl nodded his head and went to gather his stuff. I needed something to distract me right now, and helping Carl do algebra was sure to do the trick. We sat down at one of the picnic tables near camp and mulled through a few problems. I brushed a golden curl behind my ear as I started to notice the others heading back from the barn. "Does Shane think Sophia's dead?" Carl asked, me setting his pencil down. I wasn't expecting him to ask me something like that.

"Umm… I think Shane's just scared." I replied, giving him a small nervous smile. He shook his head and erased a mistake he'd made on his paper. "Of the walkers in the barn?" He pressed, looking at me with those little brown eyes of his. "Shane is scared of not being in control. Having walkers in the barn isn't easy for any of us, but it's a bigger problem for him." I tried to explain. At least that's the way I see it.

"I think Sophia's going to like it here. It's safe and it can really be a home for all of us." Carl continued, so full of hope and excitement. If only we could find her and convince Hershel to let us stay. "Yeah, I think she'll like it too." I said, as Carl wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back and wiped the stinging tear out of the corner of my eye before he could see it.

Lori approached us from behind and took over helping Carl while I headed for the horse barn. Bash and I promised Maggie we'd help bathe a few of the horse today. My mind's so bogged down I don't even remember her asking us to do it. The sun blazed overhead as I came to the barn. It had four or five wooden horse stalls, lined with hay and riding equipment was stationed towards the back of the barn. It smelt like hay and horse. My nose started to itch as I made my way inside. I noticed Daryl gathering up a saddle and throwing onto a stand.

"You can't go out there again." I said pleadingly, as I approached him. He was leaning over the saddle trying to catch his breath. He's just hardly on his feet again from his last accident. Daryl shot me a look and gruffed as he reached for a set of reigns for his horse.

"Hershel said you need to rest, as in not lifting heavy things." I said again when he completely ignored me. "I don't care." He replied, as he swung the door open to one of the horse stalls behind him. The horse in sighed breathed heavily and stopped it's foot into the hay on the ground.

"Well I care. You've done everything you can to find her, but I think you need to just take a few days off. Rick is going out again. They can pick up where you left off." I said, as he continued to prepare the horse to go out. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and then crossed my arms over my chest. He wasn't going to listen to me.

"I didn't get to Merle in time, there's still a chance we might find her. I'm not just going to sit around here and do nothing!" Daryl spat back at me venomously. I flinched from the loudness of his voice as I took a step back. He reminded me exactly of our father when he rose his voice.

"I know you want to find her. So do I, but there's a chance we might not. Maybe I am a little late to that party, but I'm starting to really wonder. I've already lost one brother; I don't want to lose you too!" I said, letting my hands fall to my sides. I wiped a stray tear as Daryl studied my face and through a pair of reigns on the ground by my feet. He ran his hand down the side of his face and then picked up the saddle and slung it down the barn, practically falling down in the process.

"Are you okay?" I said, rushing to his side as he winced in pain clutching his ribcage. He pushed me away and started to storm off, "Leave me be, you stupid bitch." He said, under his breath as he walked right past Bash out of the barn. So I'm a bitch if I don't care about anyone or anything and I'm a bitch when I do try to show concern. Whenever he's upset I get turned into the punching bag.

Bash picked the saddle up off the floor and placed it back on the stand. I turned away from him and picked the reigns up off the ground so he wouldn't see that I was crying. I hung them on the wall and felt him touch my elbow. I turned and looked at him briefly for a moment and then tried to detangle the reigns. "Hey, you okay?" He whispered, pulling on my arm until I turned and looked at him. As soon as he looked me in the eyes I broke into pieces.

Bash wrapped his arms around me and I cried quietly into his chest. I honestly don't even know what I am crying for at this point. Daryl has been an asshole to me many times, why is this time so much different? Maybe it's because we are all each other have. I pulled away from Bash and he wiped my cheeks with his finger, resting his hand on my waist. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Better?" He whispered in my ear. Everything was better when he was around it seemed. "Much." I whispered back, kissing him lightly on the cheek before pulling away from him. He seemed tense or angry that I was upset; I could tell by the way he was clenching his jaw shut. The muscles in his cheek flexed as he bit down harder.

"We uh… should get to work." I said, as I stepped away from Bash and opened one of the horse stalls up. I slipped a loose pair of reigns over the horse's snout and gently led it out of the barn followed by Bash. He carried out a bucket full of supplies. I tied the horse up near the hoses and petted it for a moment. It was beautiful. I think they called this one Dark Storm, it had black velvety fur and a few white spots here and there on its neck.

I kissed its snout and laughed when it nudged my head slightly. Bash was turning the hose on and I noticed he was watching me. I smiled at him when I caught him and felt my cheeks rush with warmth. He smirked and brought the hose over, gently wetting the back of the horse. We worked quietly for a while and just enjoyed being around one another. Every once in a while Bash would walk behind me and run his hand across my back as he passed by. I shivered every time. I'm really happy he stayed…

We brought out Nervous Nelly and started to bathe him when I caught Bash staring at Shane down by the barn. He was checking the locks for the third or fourth time since this morning. "Idiot." Bash mumbled under his breath. I looked at him and he looked at me, "There's something off about him." He whispered as I rinsed the soap out of Nelly's mane. "What do you mean?" I asked, stopping for a moment to look at him. He shook his head as he stood next to me, placing his hand on the small of my back. I turned towards him causing his hand to fall on my waist line again.

"He just reminds me of someone that's all." Bash admitted, while I stared at him waiting for more of an explanation. He cleared his throat and lowered his head. "He's going to end up getting us all killed, with the temper and the know it all attitude. He acts just like my father did. It's like he thinks he's better than everyone else. You know his story doesn't add up either." Bash said, glancing around the farm. I was shocked to hear Bash mention his father but I didn't object to ask any questions.

"What story?" I asked, stepping into him more. "I don't know, all I know is there's something night right about him. I don't trust him and neither should you." He finished before returning to washing Nelly with me. I've never trusted Shane, not entirely anyway. He did act weird after he came back without Otis too, plus the time I caught him pointing his gun at Rick in the woods that day…

We stayed silent for a bit and worked on our last horse. Bash was playing with the water when he squirted me by accident. I laughed and caused him to smirk, and squirt me again. "Bash, don't!" I laughed out as he set the hose down and picked up the bucket of soapy water and moved towards me slowly. "Don't what?" He chuckled, as I backed away from him grinning. He sauntered towards me and acted like he was about to dump the water on me when I moved towards the other side of the horse for protection. "Come on, you scared of a little water." He teased, before he flung the water across the horse soaking me.

I laughed and shrieked all at the same time after the water hit me. I had hunkered down in an attempt not to get wet and stood up straight and wiped the soapy water and suds off my face and laughed as Bash cocked his head and we both looked at the hose lying in the grass nearby. We both went for it and he ended up wrapping his arms around me and holding the hose in front of both of us, soaking us both. I laughed and turned to face him as he let the hose fall to the ground. "Jerk!" I yelled, and playfully shoved him in the chest. He grabbed my arms and pulled me to the ground. I fell on top of him and we both busted out laughing… Now we were covered in mud too.

I sat up and looked at Bash as he reached across and tucked some hair behind my ear before leaning in for a kiss. He pressed his lips against my own and I caressed his cheek. "I love you…" I whispered without thinking as he let go. He sat there and looked at me shocked and said nothing…


	27. Chapter 27

**Changed up the POV's throughout this chapter... Do you like it? :) Chapter 27**

**Riley's Point of View**

The words fell out of my mouth before I could even stop them. Did I really just tell Bash that I loved him? I stared back at him mimicking his own shocked expression. I instantly covered my hand over my mouth and felt my heart beating a thousand times per minute. "Oh…" Bash mumbled out before getting to his feet. He lent a hand down and pulled me to mine.

"I didn't mean…I shouldn't have said…It just slipped out." I whispered, as I shook my head and stared at him. How can I love someone I've only known a few short weeks? In my head I am slapping myself repeatedly in the face. Bash avoided making eye contact with me as we stood in an awkward silence.

"Can we just pretend that you didn't hear that?" I asked, taking in a deep breath. I'm just going to go throw myself off the loft in the walker barn. It would be less painful than this. "Pretend I didn't hear what?" He said, before he let out a small smirk. I laughed nervously and looked at him awkwardly. I felt like such a moron. I nodded my head and walked away in a hurry.

Really, Riley you actually said those three words. I love you. I doubt I even know what love is. It's not like I've seen a loving relationship in action. Unless you call my dad destroying the house and throwing the Christmas tree in the front yard on New Year's while mom flirts with the neighbor. I need to clear my head. I ran my hand down the side of my face as I trudged off into the woods. I might as well look for Sophia while I'm at it.

I tied Bash's plaid shirt I'd been wearing around my waist as I walked through the woods near Hershel's property line. Well more like I tripped and stumbled over all of the loose tree roots and sunk in the mud as I glazed over my shoes. This part of the woods should be considered a swamp with all the cat tails and creek beds full of water. I stopped walking when I heard twigs snapping ahead of me. I pulled my knife out of my boot and cautiously looked around as I crept forward…

**Bash's Point of View**

When she'd said it I wasn't one hundred percent sure that I had even heard her correctly. Then again those are three pretty distinctive words. I love you. I just sat that there like an asshole and said oh, who does that? I led Nelly back into the barn and pulled the wooden door closed to his stall and leaned against it for a moment.

Riley is special to me. I should be able to say I love you to her, but I don't want to lie to her if I'm not completely there yet. If I'll even get there, everyone I ever loved is dead or gone. She hasn't had it any easier though. I can't imagine how hard it was for her to even get to a place to feel comfortable enough to say something like that. I care about her so much. I love the way she smiles at me in the morning when she's half asleep and how she fits perfectly in my arms. The way her nose scrunches up when she's pissed off. How she rests her head on my shoulder in the evenings after dinner by the fire.

There's so many things I love about her, why couldn't I just say that I loved her? "Dammit." I whispered as I cleaned up the messed we'd made in the barn. After I was finished there I set off to find Riley. She'd practically ran away from me. She has to think I don't like her at all. We've been through so much together in the past few weeks I need her to know that I do care. I headed towards the RV when I didn't find her in mine or Daryl's tent. Where the hell did she go? I glanced around the farm looking for Dog and spotted him lying under a tree chewing on an old balled up pair of sucks. As I moved closer I noticed they were my socks. Little shit must have taken them out of my tent. I rolled my eyes as Glenn motioned for me to join him on the roof of the RV.

"Hey, man. You see Riley?" I asked, looking up at him. He had on some old goofy looking hat of Dales. He looked like he should be in line for the early bird special or something. "Uh yeah, she headed off into the woods little bit ago, said something about looking for Sophia." Glenn replied, as he shielded his eyes from the sun to look down at me.

"Alright, I'm going to borrow a gun and go after her. She shouldn't be out there by herself." I said, as I walked inside the RV. It was practically a small trailer on wheels. I looked in a few of the cabinets and under the dining table for the bag of weapons Rick kept in here, but they were gone. "Oh yeah, Shane headed off the same direction Riley went. He's probably with her, I'm sure she's fine man." Glenn yelled down through the sunroof to the RV.

Somehow knowing Shane was most likely with her didn't make me feel any better. I don't trust him. He's too in charge all the time. I've only been with these people a few weeks and it's obvious how territorial he is over Lori and Carl. Two people who have someone to look over them.

I headed out of the RV armed only with a knife and set off into the woods. I walked past Hershel as he stopped to ask Rick to help him do something. The sun still blazed down through the cracks in the tree tops as I pushed past overgrown shrubs and weeds. When I find her I'm going to kill her for wondering out here alone. Not knowing where she is gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I walked along for a few minutes before I spotted her golden hair standing in between two large tree trunks. She had her hair up, which only made me want to tug it down. I loved running my fingers through that wild mess of golden wavy curls.

Something was off about the way she was hunkered behind the tree trunks; it was almost like she was hiding from something, or rather someone. I made my way up behind her quietly. My boots squished in the mud from my weight. Slowly, I placed my hand around her mouth and pulled her back into me. "Shhh it's just me. It's just me!" I whispered in her ear as she calmed down almost immediately. I could sense the relief in her as I kept her close to me.

Riley held her hand up to her mouth and motioned for me to be quiet and then she pointed through the tree trunks, I crept up behind her more and looked between the trees. Shane and Dale were arguing over something.

"Rick is trying to get Hershel to let us stay on the farm." Dale stated as he set down a black bag on the ground. The bag full of guns and ammo I didn't find in the RV. He's trying to hide it. Dale picked up a rifle and held it across his arm while Shane cocked his head to the side.

"Dale shut up. Just shut up and give me the guns." Shane demanded, he was like a G.I. Joe my brother used to play with except Shane acts like he's on crack half the time with his mood swings.

"Well you're going to have to shoot me." Dale stated as he stared Shane down. Old man's got some balls I'll give him that. This is ridiculous. "I'm going over there." I said, as I attempted to walk past Riley. She latched onto my arm for dear life and I saw the fear in her eyes. She was actually scared of Shane.

"You can't stop a bullet with a knife." She whispered, pointing towards the knife hanging on my belt. It wasn't that she didn't want me to help Dale; she didn't want anything to happen to me. I intertwined my hand in hers as we kept out of sight and watched. Dale's old but he can still hold his own with Shane. If it escalated then I'd step in, but for now I'm just going to play this out.

"Am I going to have to shoot you, is that what it's going to take?" Dale asked, as he pointed the rifle at Shane as he slithered closer. He scoffed and shook his head. Shane walked all way in front of Dale until the barrel of the gun was pressed tightly against his chest. This fucker is insane…

**Riley's Point of View**

"That's what it's going to take." Shane challenged Dale. I felt my hand tighten around Bash's hand. He'd scared the hell out of me when he came up behind me. I'm surprised I didn't piss my pants. This is crazy. Shane is crazy. Dale looked at Shane full of disgust and disbelief as he kept the gun pointed at Shane's chest. His finger was on the trigger. He shook his head and slowly lowered the rifle as he looked at Shane.

"This is where you belong Shane, in a world like this. I might not have what it takes to last long, but at least I can say when the world went to shit I didn't go with it." Dale yelled, as he gruffed and struggled to pick up the black bag of weapons on the ground.

When I walked up on them earlier it looked like he was trying to bury them. Hide them from Shane most likely. I always knew Shane was a little unstable, but this is taking it to an entirely new level. Dale shoved the bag of weapons into Shane's chest. Shane smirked and started to walk in our direction. I felt Bash pull my hand and before I knew it we were running back to camp.

I was out of breath as we came to the edge of Hershel's farm and stopped. We were far enough ahead of Shane he wouldn't know we had been in the woods. I coughed as I felt my asthma flaring up. "Are you alright?" Bash asked, as he rubbed my back gently while I was hunched over coughing up a lung. I straightened up and nodded my head. We walked back towards the house in silence. Shane would have killed Dale if he hadn't surrendered. "He killed Otis. Didn't he?" I asked, touching Bash's arm. He stopped and looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I am starting to think that. Apparently Dale is too." He said, as he scratched the top of his head. It made sense. He acted so weird and so vague about everything that happened that night. I wondered why he volunteered to go for supplies. He didn't go for me; he went because Carl was hurt as well. I started to walk forward again when Bash caught my arm…

"Don't ever wonder off like that again. I didn't know where you were." He said. His voice was ice cold. He had a firm grip on my wrist. I glanced down at my wrist, he wasn't hurting me but it wasn't comfortable either. He loosened his grip when he noticed how hard he'd been holding me. "I won't." I replied, as he slipped his hand in mine. "When my brother got bit he'd wondered off away from me, so just don't do that ever again." He pleaded with me, softer and more sincerely. In that moment I knew he didn't have to say he loved me back, he cared and that's all I've ever wanted, someone to care about me. He did. We headed towards the front porch of the farm house as I felt Bash's eyes on me. Inch by inch he was letting me into his heart and his past. We sat down next to Glenn and Maggie on the front steps. I rested my head on his shoulder and felt his lips graze the top of my head. Maggie was fussing over Glenn's hat. "What happened to your cap?" I asked, trying to distract my mind from the madman Shane had become in the woods with Dale. We have to tell someone about that, right?

"Maggie decided to scramble eggs with it this morning." Glenn said, coldly. Maggie mouthed drama queen behind his back and I let out a tiny laugh. I felt Bash's hand on my thigh tense up when he spotted Shane coming up the drive. We both looked at each other and prayed he hadn't seen us.

"Where's everybody at?" Andrea and T-Dog asked as they came walking up from the barn. "We were supposed to go looking for Sophia, but Rick's MIA." She continued.

"Yeah you were! Isn't anyone taking this seriously?" Daryl asked as he appeared out of nowhere. He was always good for that though. He might be a total jackass to me sometimes, but he always appeared when I needed him most. Shane got closer to us and held out a rifle for Daryl as he walked past. "You with me man?" He said, as Daryl shot me a look of what the hell?

Bash and I stood up as the others came down off the porch behind us. "I thought we couldn't carry?" Andrea mumbled to herself as Shane handed out weapons to everyone.

"Here we were sitting round here picking daisies when we thought this place was safe. But now we know it ain't…How about you, man? You going to protect yours?" Shane yelled as he shoved a gun towards Glenn and Bash. "Can you shoot?" He asked me as he slammed a pistol into my hand. "Can you stop?" I yelled back. He's acting insane.

"If you do this, my dad will make you all leave tonight!" Maggie hollered as Shane continued to walk in circles like he was chasing the thoughts around in his head. "We ain't going anywhere, Hershel he's just going to have to understand!" He nodded his head no, and pulled a small hand pistol out and placed it in Carl's tiny hands. "You take this and you protect your mom at all costs." He said more calmly as I heard the screen door to the house slam closed. Lori came rushing out and headed down the steps.

I looked down at the gun in my hands and then looked at the rifle in Bash's hands. Lori stepped in front of Shane and pushed Carl back towards me. "Rick said no guns! This isn't your decision Shane!" She yelled at him. "Holy shit!" Bash said, as I looked at him. My eyes followed his line of vision down towards the tree line on the far side of the property. Rick and Hershel were leading walkers towards the barn. What the hell?

"What is that?" Shane screamed as we all broke into a run down the field. Shane shoved through the metal gate leading to the pasture with the walker barn and screamed at Hershel. "Shane, just back off!" Rick yelled over the sounds of the walkers. They had leads tied around there necks and where forcing them forward. A four foot metal pole was the only thing between Hershel and the hissing walkers.

"Shane let us do this and then we can talk!" Rick demanded as they continued to push forward for the barn. Bash stepped in front of me protectively a little bit as I smacked into his back. "Why do your people have guns?" Hershel questioned as he fought and struggled with the walker.

"Are you kidding me? You see what these people are holding onto. These things ain't sick. They're not people! They're dead. Ain't going to feel nothing for them 'cause all they do is kill! These are the things that killed Amy. They're going to kill all of us!" Shane screamed as he circled around Rick and Hershel.

"Shane, shut up!" Rick yelled trying to regain control over a situation that has already spiraled way out of control. Shane backed up and pulled his gun out, he had a hard expression on his face, "Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something." Shane hollered as he pointed the gun at the walker Hershel was leading towards the barn. This is bad really bad…

Shane fired three rounds into the walker's chest, the gunshots piercing my ears. I stumbled into Bash as he kept his arm held out in front of me to keep me from moving closer. "Could a living breathing person live through that? No!" He shouted as he fired another round into the walker's chest. It kept coming towards Shane and gnawing and growling at the wind. "Shane enough!" Rick's voice boomed across the entire farm. Shane nodded his head and shot the walker straight in the head. "Yeah that is enough." He said, as the blood squirted out of the back of the walkers head. I wanted to scream, for him to stop but he'd finally lost it.

Shane ran towards the barn and slammed his hands into the door a few times before he ripped the lock off the barn door. He hollered and shouted as he yanked pieces of wood of the door, the walkers inside hissed and moaned as they began tearing the door down. Their faces were what nightmares were made of. Hershel had sunk to the ground clearly in shock from Shane's outburst and rampage. This isn't right.

Shane fired his weapon and took down the first walker as he escaped from the barn. Others soon followed. The entire group raised their weapons as they walkers swarmed out of the barn. Bash fired a few rounds and looked at me, I held my gun up and pointed it at the walker coming straight at me and pulled the trigger. The sound of gunfire rippled through the air over top all the screams.

I thought it was over when Daryl took down the last walker. Bash looked at me as we heard movement inside the barn. It was a short walker, a child. It crept towards the light of the barn and hissed as it came outside. I heard Carol scream, as I fell to the ground. The child had short brownish blonde hair that had been matted down from weeks of dirt and mud. Rick stepped forward as the child walker moved closer. He raised his weapon and fired one final shot, killing what was left of Carols daughter Sophia…


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Riley's Point of View**

It feels like my heart has literally stopped beating inside my chest. All I can hear is Carol sobbing into Daryl's chest beside me. Shane was right, as much as it pains me to admit it. He was right. Sophia's been dead this entire time. We've been chasing her ghost around in the woods for weeks hoping we'd find her safe and sound. How delusional could we have been? I'd slid myself into the dirt and haven't moved since Rick had put a bullet between what used to be her big blue eyes. She hardly looked like Carol's little girl anymore.

Her clothes were stained with mud and tattered and torn. Her shoes were falling apart from all the walking she'd done. How long has she been this way? Her sweet little face was nothing but a pit of darkness. I let the tears fall from my eyes as I sat there on the ground and took in all of the dead bodies lying before me. Shane had lost his damn mind. I shook my head and tried to make sense of it all. There was nothing to make sense of though now.

Carol's cries worsened as Daryl tried to pull her away from the barn. She shoved him harshly and took off for the RV. Daryl looked at me as he helped me to my feet. I stumbled backwards still in shock from everything that had just happened. Hershel's youngest daughter Beth was crying behind me. I looked at her as Bash placed his hand on the small of my back. Beth shuffled her feet forward and searched the pile of bodies for a particular face. "Mom!" she whimpered out as she rolled one of the bodies over.

Beth knelt down in front of the woman that used to be her mother until it hissed and raised its bloodied gnarled head up and tried to bite her. It latched its hands around her shoulders and pulled her down. Beth let out a blood curdle scream as she fought to wretch herself free. We all rushed to Beth's aide and tried to rip her away from the monster that was once her loving mother. Shane and Rick pulled Beth back while Andrea took a pick axe to the walkers dead. The axe made a cracking noise as it broke through the skull and sunk into the brain.

I watched as Hershel held his daughter close to his chest. My father never held me that way, that protectively. My head felt light as I shifted back away from the group. My palms were sweaty and shaking as I picked my gun up off the ground and handed it Daryl. He hardly looked at me as he took the gun and began to walk past me. He stopped and put his hand on my shoulder and stood there for a brief moment before continuing on. That was about all the comforting Daryl could manage right now. Bash wasn't much better either. He stood beside me zoning out on the corpses scattered on the ground.

How did Sophia even end up in the barn? She didn't just wonder inside and get stuck someone had to have put her inside. I stepped into Bash and felt him lock his arms around me. His heart was racing and his shirt was soaked with sweat, as I rested the side of my face on him. Hershel and his people were making their way back to the house when Shane took off after them like a bat out of hell. I let go of Bash and followed Rick after him.

"We've been out. We've been combing these woods looking for her and she was in there all along?" Shane yelled as he sidled up beside Hershel. Rick tried to grab Shane's arm but he twisted out of it.

"Leave us alone!" Maggie hollered over her shoulder.

"You knew!" Shane snapped, as he continued to follow them to the front porch. Bash had caught up to me and was now walking beside me. I felt him slip his hand in mine.

"Why don't you just give it a rest, man?" Bash said, rolling his eyes. He squeezed my hand and I knew he was getting pissed off. So was I. Hadn't Shane already done enough today. He pushed and pushed until he got what he wanted. You'd think the guy would be happy now. I mean he took care of the walkers in the barn, isn't that what he wanted, to protect Lori and Carl.

"You knew and you kept it from us!" Shane snarled. Hershel shook his head repeatedly as he walked up the front porch steps to his home. We invaded their lives, their home. Look what's happened, because of Shane. These people helped save my life. They might have secrets, but I doubt they would have let us run around for weeks looking for a missing girl, knowing damn well she was locked up tight in their barn.

"I didn't know." Hershel replied, his voice was hoarse and weak.

"Why was she there? You all knew! This is bullshit, admit you knew!" Shane continued to hammer them with questions. I balled my free hand into a fist and bit my tongue. Whenever I open my mouth something bad usually happens so I'm trying like hell to keep it shut.

"Otis put those people in the barn. Maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed." Hershel admitted out of breath as he turned to face us. Yeah, before Shane killed him. Everyone was so worried about the walkers being in the barn. What about the guy sleeping two or three feet away?

"You expect me to believe that?" Shane snickered as he rubbed the top of his head.

"I don't care what you believe!" Hershel yelled.

"Everybody just needs to calm down!" Rick insisted as he stepped in between Shane and Hershel as he came back down off the porch. Shane pushed Rick and got in Hershel's face. Tensions were high, but the tempers were through the roof. Maggie flew back down off the porch and slammed her hands into Shane's chest shoving him backwards. She ended up slapping him in the face. I couldn't help but give her a small inkling of a smile after she'd done that.

"Haven't you done enough?" Maggie seethed.

"I want you off my farm! I mean it off my land!" Hershel demanded as Maggie ushered him inside their home. I ran my hand through my hair and swallowed the golf ball sized lump in the back of my throat. Bash crossed his hands over his chest and chewed on the inside of his jaw.

"I'm telling you right now Rick, that son of a bitch knew! He knew!" Shane spewed the words out at Rick. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away before I said or did something I would regret.

"He didn't know! He's not like that! They opened their home to us!" Rick retorted as I shuffled my feet through the loose gravel in the driveway. I turned my head to see if Bash was coming, but he was still standing there. He shook his head as Rick and Shane had more words with one another before he snapped.

"You know even if he did know, which I doubt the old man did it doesn't change shit! I've helped you people look for this little girl for weeks. Standing here debating if he knew or didn't know isn't going to bring her back! I mean Jesus Carol just lost her daughter…You should be paying your respects to her instead of standing here competing in a pissing contest!" Bash spat the words out venomously. He just said everything I'd been dying to say. Shane smirked and stepped into Bash as I made my way back up the hill.

"You ain't even a part of this kid, why don't you mind your own damn business. All you are is some washed up kid Rick felt sorry for and brought along for the ride. Shoot, let's face it the only reason you stuck around this long was for the free food and a piece of ass." Shane hissed out getting in Bash's face. I'm guessing I was the piece of ass he was referring too.

Rick was trying to separate them when I got back up next to Bash. I pulled on his arm trying to get him to back up. He kept his feet planted on the ground in front of Shane. Bash stepped back like he was going to surrender and through his hands in the air. I thought he was about to walk away when he pulled his arm back and slammed it into Shane's jaw. I stood there with my mouth wide open as he shook out his hand.

Shane stumbled back and glared at Bash spitting blood out of his mouth. He stared at Bash for a good minute before Rick pulled him away. I can't believe he just punched him. Bash backed away from me before I could say anything and stormed off into the pasture. Things just go from bad to worse around here. I wondered around the property aimlessly for a few hours before I ended up back in our little camp.

Rick and the group had decided to start the cleanup process down by the barn already. Maybe in some weird way this is for the best. At least we know and now we can move on. It meant so much to everyone to find Sophia. We've lost other people, like Merle and Amy and Jim. This feels different though. I spotted Bash down by the fences and decided to walk down there.

He was perched on top the fence picking apart blades of grass and flicking them on the ground. He jumped down when he noticed me coming and turned and looked in the opposite direction. I stood beside him quietly resting my hands on the warm wooden fence post. I glanced over and noticed Bash's hand was already bruised and busted open from where he deck Shane earlier. "Does it hurt?" I whispered touching it gently with my finger. He fidgeted with my hand before he turned and looked down at our intertwined fingers. He shook his head no before he pulled away from me. I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were puffy like he'd been crying.

I turned to walk away wanting to give him his space when he grabbed my arm. I turned my head and he pulled me into him gently. He wrapped his arms around my waist as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. I felt his fingers grazing up and down my back. Eventually we worked our way back up to the barn and began helping the others dig graves.

It was early in the evening when we finally finished digging four graves. We bury the ones we love and burn the rest. Seems pretty harsh doesn't it? You're either buried six feet under or burnt to ash. The group huddled around the graves to pay their respects. Surprisingly Daryl wrapped his arm around me while I held Bash's hand. The wind blew and the insects chirped as if nothing terrible had happened at all. The group slowly dispersed and everyone went their separate ways to grieve.

Bash and I were sitting with Daryl on the front porch when we heard a loud crashing sound come from inside. Everyone ran inside to find that Beth had collapsed in the kitchen. Maggie and Glenn had got her into one of the bedrooms and were trying to get her to wake up or move or say something, but she lied there in complete and utter shock. I peeked in the bedroom at Beth lying motionless on the bed. Her skin was pale. I went in the nearby bathroom and got a cold wash cloth to give to Maggie to put on her forehead. "Where's Hershel?" Bash asked standing in the hallway. Maggie shrugged her shoulders.

"We can't find him." She said, as she looked at Beth worriedly.

Before long Rick and Shane got brought in to solve the case of the missing Hershel. They were taking a look around in Hershel's bedroom to see if they could find a clue as to where in the hell he might be. He was nowhere to be found on the farm. As if this day couldn't get any better. Hershel's room was a catastrophe, kind of like this entire day I thought to myself. I leaned against the wall while everyone searched through Hershel's things, including Bash.

"These he's wife's things?" Rick asked. He was referring to the scattered boxes full of old clothes and shoes and jewelry. Maggie placed the lid back on top on of the boxes as she kept her eye on Shane.

"He thought they'd pick up where they left off like nothing ever happened." Maggie replied moving around the room.

Bash spotted an old flask sitting on top Hershel's dresser and picked it up to examine it. He unscrewed the top and smelled it before he drank what was left in it. I shot him a look and rolled my eyes. "It looks like he found an old friend." Bash said, as he tossed the flask to Rick.

"I didn't take Hershel for a drinker." Rick said as he looked at Bash and then at Maggie.

"No, he gave it up on the day I was born. He didn't even allow liquor in the house." Maggie said taking the flask from Rick.

"What's the bar in town?" Rick asked, as he walked towards Maggie and I on the other side of the room. Bash placed his hand on the small of my back as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"It's called Hatlins, he practically lived there in his drinking days." Maggie replied.

"I'm betting that's where we will find him." Rick said. He always kept his hand resting on the top of his gun at his side. It must be the cop in him. I closed my eyes for a second trying to calm my nerves from everything that had happened today.

"Yeah, I've seen the place. I'll take you." I heard Bash say. I opened my eyes and looked at him in pure shock. He can't go. It's too dangerous. We were almost killed the last time we went to town. At least I was anyway. "I'll go too." Glenn chimed in. "Alright, I'll get the truck." Rick replied nodding his head.

"No." I whispered to Bash. He looked at me sympathetically. "It's an easy run." He whispered back. He placed his hands on my hips and looked at me. "Riley, I'll bring him back." Rick said touching my arm slightly as he headed out of the room. I wretched myself out of Bash's arms and took off out of the house. I stopped on the front porch to catch my breath. I don't want him to go. It's as simple as that.

Daryl is always the one running off into the unknown and now he's doing the same thing. What if it something happens to him? All that gunfire could have drawn more walkers in. The town could be full of them by now. I heard the screen door slam shut a few times and watched Maggie and Glenn say good bye to one another. Bash walked over to the truck and shoved his rifle inside when he caught my eye as I walked off the porch. "Hey." He said behind. I stopped walking and turned on my heel to face him. He walked right in front of me and then stopped. He tilted my chin up so I'd look at him when I kept dodging making eye contact with him. "It'll be okay." He whispered. I felt my lip quiver as he leaned in and kissed me. He wrapped me up in his arms and held me tightly against his chest. I breathed in his warmth and let him take my face in his hands.

"Be careful." I said, as we kissed again. I felt his forehead lean into mine. "I'm coming back to you." He said as he kissed me one more time. People I love always end up leaving… "I'll be back, I promise." Bash said as he caressed my cheek.

He kissed me lightly on the forehead before he let go of me and headed back to the truck. Glenn and Rick were already waiting for him inside. I stood there and watched with Maggie as the pulled out and left. Maggie stormed inside to check on Beth. I sat down in one of the wicker rocking chairs on their porch and tucked my knees up under my chin and chewed on my finger nails nervously.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Bash's Point of View**

The drive into town was quiet until Glenn started talking about how he never thought all the hours he spent playing Call of Duty would ever come in handy. I guess I didn't either. I let my body slump down in the passenger seat as I twirled my last cigarette around in between my fingers. I've been saving it for a while now wondering when I'd be able to get more. Even though I hadn't smoked it yet, it was comforting to know I still had it. I slipped the cigarette back in my pocket and let the whir of the tires on the asphalt drown out the thoughts in my head. I could feel the hum of the axels underneath my feet.

I rolled the window down and let my arm hang out the side of the car. The air was warm but you could tell we were just on the brink of fall, which meant winter wasn't too far behind. If we have to leave the farm and survive out here in the winter it's going to be brutal on everyone. The trees blurred by as we continued down a county road into town. The leaves had already started to change here and there. Flecks of golden leaves popped in and out of the trees. It reminded me of Riley's hair. I smiled to myself thinking about her. Maybe I was stupid for leaving her to go with Rick. It just seemed like the right thing to do I guess.

I kept catching Rick looking at me every once in a while as he drove down the road. The last time I'd been in town Riley had almost gotten bitten by one of those bastards. "So Maggie said she loves me." Glenn said matter of factly from the back seat. I whipped my head around to look at him. The guy looked like he was going to piss his pants whenever Maggie was around and now she's in love with him.

"She doesn't mean it." Glenn went on. What is it with the girls in this camp or group or whatever confessing their love for everyone? First Riley accidently blurts it out, so she says and now Maggie and Glenn.

"She's just upset or confused." Glenn said as he fidgeted with the gun lying across his lap. I turned back around in my seat and stared out the windshield. Rick cleared his throat as he glanced at Glenn in the rearview mirror. "I think she's smart enough to know what she's feeling." He said, as he made a right hand turn on to the main road heading into town.

"Maybe you're right." Glenn laughed out. I keep replaying that moment in my mind when Riley had said she loved me. She caught me completely off guard. I've had girlfriends in high school, but none of them have ever been as serious as we've been. I've never been this twisted on the inside over a girl before.

"You need to enjoy it Glenn, these kinds of things don't happen that often anymore. And you, what about you and Riley?" Rick questioned me as I glanced at him and chuckled. "I don't know." I mumbled, completely uncomfortable with this conversation. What are we a group of soccer moms driving in the carpool, come on? Glenn laughed in the back seat.

"Seriously, everyone sees the way you two are with one another." Glenn said as he leaned up in between the front seats. We were coming into the edge of town when we spotted the Hatlins' bar Maggie had told us about. Excellent timing because this conversation is making me want to drink…

"I love her, okay? There I admitted it." I finally said letting out a breath. It felt so natural to say it out loud, probably because she wasn't standing in front of me looking at me with those piercing green eyes. I love her. At least I think I do. We hardly know each other though. That's mostly my fault, she's been waiting so patiently for me to open up to her it's just not something I'm good at. This is great I can admit that I love her to everyone and anyone but her.

"All these things are good things. These are things we all need to hold on to." Rick said as he pulled in front of the bar and cut off the engine. We all got out and surveyed the area. It was quiet and calm for the most part. No sign of Hershel out here though.

We were walking down the sidewalk towards the front of the bar when Rick caught my arm and pulled me to a stop. He looked so much different than the guy that had found me holed up in the police department three months ago.

"I just want you to know that what Shane said isn't true. You are a part of this group now, a part of this family." Rick said as he looked me straight in the eye. It reminded me of when my dad would lecture me about stumbling into the house past curfew. I nodded my head and took in what he'd said. I hated thinking of my father. What kind of man leaves his wife and kids to go off and protect his mistress when the world ends? My dad that's who. I hadn't even known he'd been cheating on my mother until she told us where the jackass went.

"I know about Lori being pregnant. I helped get her the pills." I blurted out. It seemed like he should know that I know. Rick nodded his head as we slowly kept walking. "I know Riley went to town, so I kind of figured you went with her." He said glancing at me.

"You did what you thought was right. No harm in that." Rick said as he held out his hand for me to shake it. So I did. The bar looked run down on the outside. Bricks were missing from the sides of it and boards were hanging loosely from the windows. I doubt there's any liquor left in the place. The door looks like it's been kicked in more than a few times.

**Riley's Point of View**

They've been gone a good two hours already and still haven't come back. I've chewed off all of my fingernails so far and now I am washing dishes in Hershel's kitchen sink. If I keep myself busy then I won't worry about them being gone as much. Once I finished the dishes I climbed the stairs to check on Beth to see if her condition had changed. It hadn't. I hardly knew Beth, but I didn't want to see anything bad happen to her. I got Maggie a glass of water and headed back out into the hallway by the stairs with Andrea and Lori.

"We need Hershel. He'll know what to do." Andrea said. I leaned against the windowpane and noticed Daryl carrying his tent somewhere. What is he doing? Lori ran her hands through her black hair and shook her head. They should have already been back by now. I patted Lori on the arm as I walked past her and headed down the stairs and back outside. I heard the screen door slam behind me as I descended the front porch steps.

I followed Daryl out through the pastures and up a hill before he stopped and threw his stuff on the ground. "What are you doing, moving to the suburbs?" I said out of breath. Daryl rolled his eyes as he sat down on the ground and began carving an arrow with his hunting knife. "Funny." He scoffed sarcastically. He's hurt that we didn't find Sophia alive and well, but he's too stubborn to let anyone help him or talk to him.

"Something is wrong with Beth. I think you need to go into town and bring Rick and Hershel and the guys back. She doesn't look good." I said as I stepped forward trying to get his attention. He kept sliding the blade of the knife back and forth on the stick he was holding. I watched the slivers of wood fall to the ground as a point formed on the end of it.

"Hello, earth to Daryl!" I shouted when he ignored me. I snapped my fingers in front of his face to get his attention, but he smacked my hand away and grunted. "Your little bitch boy went window shopping, you want him go after him yourself." Daryl snapped looking up at me.

"I know what you're doing…You're pulling away from me and the group by moving your shit up here because you want to pout about not finding Sophia instead of just talking about it. Everyone is grieving. You don't have to act like such an ass all the time." I snapped back at him as he threw his makeshift arrow in the grass in front of him. He got up and looked at me.

"I've been out every day looking for that little girl. I got an arrow in the chest and a bullet to the side of the head in the process. I've done more than enough for this group. I'm out of the search and rescue business." Daryl spat back at me as he shook his head and backed away.

"Fine do whatever it is you're doing up here Daryl." I said as I slowly started walking backwards away from him. I turned around and headed back towards the farm house. Lori was coming off the porch with a pistol and a map in her hand when I looked up from the ground. She looked at me then the map and the car. She's going after them. Lori opened the car door and placed her things inside then turned back to look at me.

"Would you look in on Carl for me." She asked desperately. I ran my fingers through my hair and headed around to the other side of the car.

"No, I'm coming with you." I said as I pulled the door open and got inside. Lori got in the car and looked at me. She was about to say something about me coming when I shot her a look. Then she started the car and we headed out.

All the times we've taken the horses into town we cut through the fields because it was quicker. Now here I am trying to figure out where the hell we are on a map and how to get into to town. I flunked anything to do with maps and I have no sense of direction. I crinkled the map up as Lori made an instinctive turn right, then she took the map from me. When I looked up it was already to late, "Lori, look out!" I screamed...

**Bash's Point of View**

Rick gently pushed the door to the bar open and we walked inside to find Hershel sitting at the bar drowning his pain and grief with a shot of whiskey. Old man had good taste I'll give him that. Hatlin's has seen better days, that's for damn sure. This place was destroyed. Empty liquor bottles scattered and covered the bar and tables.

Glenn and I inched our way inside and let the door creak closes behind us. "Hershel." Rick said trying to get the old mans attention. He raised his head as he took another drink from the glass in his hand. "Who's with you?" Hershel asked.

"Bash and Glenn. They volunteered to come along. They're good like that." Rick said as he made his way over towards Hershel. I rested myself against one of the tables. If Riley were hear she would probably write something in the layer of dust covering the floor.

"You need to come back with us now. Beth's in some sort of state. She needs you. Your girls need you." Rick said, trying to plead with him. Hershel knocked back another shot of whiskey and started to pour another.

"They need to grieve. Something they should have done weeks ago. But my foolishness robbed them of that." Hershel said gulping the liquid down. Rick glanced at Glenn and I. We are going to be here for a while.

Glenn and I walked back outside to give Rick a chance to try and convince him to back with us. "So what are we supposed to do, let him get his drink on and wait till he passes out." I said leaning in the doorway. Screw this, if he's drinking I'm drinking. I walked back inside and went behind the bar and searched through rows and rows of bottles until I found one that I wanted.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Bash's Point of View**

The vodka burned the entire way down my throat. Rick and Glenn both shot me looks while I poured my third shot. I raised my shot glass slightly as they walked past as in saying cheers. If I have to help sit here and babysit gramps I'm getting buzzed. Glenn joined me behind the bar and poured himself a shot while I downed my own. "Just go." Hershel mumbled as I watched Glenn scrunch his face up from the taste of the vodka. He hasn't been shit faced since that night at the CDC. That was the night that Riley and I got high and ended up together on the couch.

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to finish that bottle and drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?" Rick questioned Hershel as he swiveled around on the bar stool to look at him. I took another shot of vodka and set my glass down on the bar. My head's already feel the alcohol. I haven't eaten much all day. If Riley doesn't force me to eat I usually don't. God, I want her so much.

"Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm. You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!" Hershel yelled kicking one of the chairs across the room.

"The world was already in bad shape when we met." Rick hissed back, moving closer to Hershel. The old man looked like he'd been beaten down from everything that had happened. Shane is such a dick, but the walkers did need to be taken care of. He could have just handled it in a less destructive way.

"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be there leader!" Hershel asked as he staggered backwards. Rick shook his head in agreement. "Well I'm here now, aren't I?" He threw the words back at him. Hershel needs to get a fucking grip. "Yes, yes you are." He whispered almost to himself as he fumbled back to his seat at the bar. He threw back another shot as Rick made his way towards him.

"I chose to believe that these people weren't sick, but when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming and coming, that's when I knew what and ass I'd been. You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding her rotten corpse! There is no hope, for any of us. When you saw that little girl come out of the barn, you knew it too. Didn't you? " Hershel confessed ripping his arm out Rick's grasp.

"It isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them, the people back home that need us. Even if it's just something for them to hold onto they need us." Rick said. Hershel knocked back another shot before he set his glass upside down on the bar. Rick had finally gotten through to him.

I think he was right too; it's not about us anymore it's about them. Maybe that's why I couldn't tell Riley that I loved her back, because I am too afraid of her needing me too much. Maybe I'm too afraid of needing her too much. I don't know which is which. I stared at the floor and rested my back against the bar when I heard the door swing open. I whipped my head around to see two older men standing in the archway.

"Well son of a bitch. They're alive." The one man said, as he surveyed our small group smiling. I instantly through my guard up and reached for my weapon, but it was lying on one of the tables across the room. Shit. Where the hell did they come from? Rick had his hand on his holstered weapon as they two of them held their hands up in surrender and walked inside. I was weary of them. They looked like they'd been on the road for a while. Rick gestured for the two them to join us and have a drink. I inched my way around the bar and grabbed my gun off the table as they moved to sit down.

"I'm Dave. That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony." The guy Dave said. He had shorter black hair and the other heavy set guy looked like a total slob. They had northern accents. They sounded like New Jersey or Boston. Rick poured them both a glass of liquor and took a seat by Hershel at the bar eyeing both of them suspiciously, the cop in him coming out.

I've learned not to trust anyone since the world went to shit. Rick was the first person I ever slightly trusted since everything had happened with my family. I trust him now more than anyone in our group.

"Eat me Dave." Tony chuckled. "Hey, you never know someday I might. We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. What a damn shit-show that was." Dave said as he took a sip out of his glass. Everyone introduced themselves but me. I just nodded my head and listened. I pour myself another shot and noticed the piece tucked in the back of Dave's jeans. He noticed me staring at it and pulled it out slowly.

"Not bad, huh?" He asked setting it down on the table. "I got it off a cop."

"I'm a cop." Rick said, clearing his throat and looking directly at him.

"Well this one was already dead." He eyed Rick back and smirked. Yeah I doubt that.

They gave us their sob story of how they ended up down south. They decided to get off the highways and into the sticks, hoping for a safe place. Every group they came across had a new rumor about a way out of this mess. News flash there isn't one. We all learned that when the CDC turned out to be nothing but a Frankenstein doctor who'd lost his damn mind. One guy told them they were sending ferries to the islands. The latest was a rail way running trains to the middle of the country Kansas, Nebraska.

"Nebraska?" Glenn laughed.

"Low population, lots of guns." Tony replied.

"That makes sense." Glenn concluded. I leaned back against the shelves behind me and crossed my arms over my chest.

"What about you?" Dave asked anxiously awaiting Rick's response. Rick glanced around at all of us before he opened his mouth. He knew we shouldn't tell these people any more about ourselves than we had too. "Fort Benning, eventually." He finally spoke. Dave nodded his head and smirked. He had the kind of face you just wanted to punch right off, kind of like Shane.

"I hate to piss in your cornflakes officer, but we ran across a grunt that was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by lamebrains." Dave said. Well that knocks Fort Benning off the map for us. My head was pounding and I really just wanted to head back to the farm and wrap my arms around Riley. Something told me we weren't just going to walk out of here with these guys here.

"You guys don't look like you're staying here. The cars outside look pretty clean. We're living in ours. Are you holing up somewhere nearby?" Dave asked, shifting in his seat. "We are with a larger group out scouting and thought we could all use a drink." Hershel spoke, his face matching my distrust of the men.

"So what you guys set up on the outskirts or something. That new development or trailer park or something? A farm maybe?" Dave pushed again. I don't like how they want to know where we are living. They have no reason to ask us half the shit they are asking.

"You got a farm?" Dave said again when none of us spoke a word. Yeah we have a farm. Not you and your bed buddy here asshole. I glanced at Glenn and chewed on the inside of my lip. I don't like where this is going at all.

"You got food, water, shelter? Anything at all?" Dave questioned us again. He's fishing for information and Rick knows it I'm sure. The guys not exactly subtle. The heavy set man Toni hobbled off his bar stool and walked over towards the corner of the bar to take a piss. "You got any tail? I ain't had piece of ass in weeks." He mumbled over his shoulder. That comment alone made me want to beat his sorry ass. I couldn't bare to think of either one these guys coming with in ten feet of my girl or any of the women in our camp for that matter.

"We've said enough already. We can't take in anymore. Our groups full." Rick said glancing from Dave to Tony. They both had disgusted looks across their faces. They were both antsy and pushing further and further. I moved back towards the bar and placed my hand on top of my gun gradually.

"This is bullshit!"

Tony mumbled as Rick instructed him to calm the hell down. I watched as the guy Dave stood up and hopped across the bar. "Everyone just calm down. You know I don't see why we can't just help each other out I mean I was starting to think we were friends Rick. What are we supposed to do? Where do we go?" He asked as he rifled through bottles behind the bar.

"I don't know I hear Nebraska is nice." I said sarcastically as I leaned into the bar shooting him a look. Rick had his hand placed on his weapon as he watched the men cautiously. Dave laughed at my comment and reached for his gun. He picked it up and pointed at Rick, before I knew it Rick had already shot him. His body fell backwards into cabinets as Rick whipped around and put two rounds in Tony.

The gunshots rang out loudly in my ears as we all looked to one another. Ricks hand was steady as he holstered his weapon. We all shared a quiet glance with one another again and knew it had to be done. They drew on us first they made this happen.

**Riley's Point of View**

My eyes blinked open slowly one at a time only to view nothing but darkness. What happened I wondered as I heard a constant clicking sound in my ear. I felt tired and my head hurt really bad. I tried to move but it felt like my body weighed a thousand pounds. I closed my eyes for brief moment and slipped back into the darkness...


	31. Chapter 31

**I apologize for any errors guys, I wrote this on my iPod. Lol. Hope you like it! **

**Chapter 31**

**Riley's Point of View**

It felt like my body was falling except I wasn't falling at all. Maybe I was dangling, yeah that's a better word. The clicking sound continued to ring out in my ears and drive me insane. I've heard it so long it's burned into my hearing now. All I can see is darkness. My vision blurred as my eyes flickered open. I moaned out in pain feeling how badly my head hurt. I touched the side of my head and winced as spikes of pain shot across my forehead.

I'm in the car. The accident and the walker in the road. The only thing keeping me from toppling down on to Lori was the fact that I had been wearing my seat belt. The car had flipped on its side during the crash. "Lori!" I coughed out, craning my neck to see her unconscious. How the hell do I always end up in these types of situations. "Lori, wake up!" I coughed out again.

I was so focused on trying to wake Lori up that I never even heard the snarls and low growls until they were inches away from my face snapping at me through the broken windshield. I screamed and jerked on the seat belt trying to release it, but it was stuck. "Oh god!" I whimpered as the glass begin to give as the walker gnarled through. It's face was something out of a nightmare. I mean it made Freddy Krueger look like Hello Kitty compared to this thing. I yanked on the seat belt one final time feeling it finally break free.

I tried my best not to land on Lori and in the process the walker had grabbed the back of my head and was pulling my hair. I screamed and tried to get away but this freak was strong. My heart was pounding against my chest so I hard I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I reached down and found something on the floor of the car, maybe it was the side of the car I don't really know at this point. I pulled up a screw driver and slammed it into the walkers face right beside my own. The walkers blood splattered across the side of my face as the crunch of the screw driver driving through the walkers skull rang out in my ears.

Tears streaked my face as I attempted to crawl out the back of the car. I was out of breath and on the verge of puking as I landed on the cool asphalt. Shards of broken glass were everywhere, I felt spikes of pain on the palms of my hands as I stumbled to my feet. I turned to look back at Lori as I fumbled around trying to regain my footing. I felt something touch the back of my shoulder causing me to let out a horrid shriek that pierced my own ears. I whipped around and tried to shove the hideous creature away from me. It hissed and clawed at me like a lion claws it's prey. The walker had managed to knock me on my ass. It kept grabbing at my feet as I tried to crawl away desperately. I inches my way towards the shoulder of the road and grabbed one of the cars hubcaps that blew off during the wreck and swung it at the walkers face, knocking it off of me.

I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could noticing another walker heading my way. The gun. Lori had a pistol. I ran to the car and search through the mess. Come on where is it! Lori was moaning beneath my feet. If I don't find the gun soon we are both screwed. Just when I thought all hope was lost I spotted it. I could hear the walkers feet scraping against the ground over top of my own heavy breathing. I grabbed the gun and turned around and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

The gunshot pierced my ears to no end. It felt like time had somehow slowed down the entire time I was being attacked. I watched the last walker fall to ground in front of me and let my arm fall to my side along with the gun. The adrenaline was coursing through my body at top speed. I've never had to do anything like that before. My hands shook as I leaned over and hurled behind the car. I couldn't stop myself, it just happened.

I made my way back around to the front of the car and knelt down beside Lori. "Are you okay?" She yelled. Define okay, I thought. "I'm okay. I'm going to get you out!" I said as I took the butt of the pistol and smacked the windshield. I had to break it the rest of the way to get her out. The glass cracked and shattered to ground around my boots as I continued to lightly hit it. Eventually I was able to peel it back enough to see Lori better. Her hair was marred with blood and her lip was busted open pretty badly. "Are you okay, can you move?" I asked, as she attempted to get up. "I think so." She practically whispered as I helped pull her up and out of the car.

We both ended up on our asses trying to catch our breath. It was taking everything in me to fight off the asthma attack I could feel coming over me. Lori grabbed my arm and checked me over after we stood up. "I'm fine, really. It scared the hell out of me that's all." I said, shaking my head.

Here we are stranded on the side of the road after wrecking our car. It's like the beginning of every single bad horror movie ever made. The night air was brisk reminding me winter was just around the corner. I handed Lori the gun back and shook my head, "I don't want it." I said as I placed my hands on the back of my neck and looked up at the eerie night sky.

"We need to keep moving. More walkers could have heard the shots." Lori said as she touched my arm. I nodded my head and began following her down the road. We were still heading into town as far as I could tell. We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound came from our boots and the crickets chirping in the fields.

My side was killing me as we kept pushing forward. It was beyond creepy to walk at night down an empty road. It felt comforting to have Lori by my side though. We walked for probably twenty minutes before we heard a car coming down the road behind us. I backed into the tree line unsure of who it might be. The cars headlight shone bright as it came to a stop. Lori and i shielded our eyes as Shane came into view. Great. He rushed to Lori's side in a complete panic.

"I saw the wreck! Are you alright?" He asked her as he pulled her into a tight and forceful hug. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. I stepped into the light as Lori pushed him back gently. "We are fine. I looked down at the map and a walker came out in front of us. We have to go find Rick a and the others." She said trying to keep walking. Shane latched onto her arms and held her in place.

"It's fine. Rick and the others are back with Hershel. Everyone fine." Shane said giving her a small smile. Lori let out a sigh of relief.

"Bash too?" I asked, timidly stepping forward more. Shane's eyes narrowed as he stared at me through the darkness.

"Uh yeah... Now let's go." He order, carefully walking Lori back to the car. Lori reached for my hand but i didn't take it. I trust Shane about as much as I can throw a damn baseball. Which isn't much. He's a liar, and would do anything to 'protect' Lori.

"Come on now y'all need to get in the damn car." Shane pressed again.

"Riley they're back we can go home now." Lori said as she made her way back towards me. Shane shook his head clearly pissed off.

"I don't trust him. He's lying Lori. Something's wrong, okay? I know it is." I whispered to her as Shane made his way towards us. Shane grabbed our arms and led us back to the car and opened the doors before Lori could respond. I got in back seat as Shane slammed the door shut shut.

My gut told me I should have kept going. But I didn't listen. The ride back to the farm was quiet. I glared at Shane through the rear view mirror the entire way back. When we arrived home I wanted to believe they were back, but I didn't see the car they left in parked anywhere. I got out of the car as soon as he put it in park. Daryl was waiting on Hershel's front porch. He looked pissed about a thousand times over, but he didn't yell at me instead he walked off the porch and pulled me into a tiny hug. "I knew you'd be alright." He whispered before letting me go. It was his way of saying that he was sorry for earlier and that he knew I could handle myself now. We were weird like that.

"Where's Rick?" Lori asked as she hugged everyone coming down off the porch. Shane looked down at the ground. "They're not back." Andrea said as she looked at the mess of both us standing before her. I knew he was lying. That son of a bitch.

"I had to get you back here safe and sound. I was thinking of the baby!" Shane said half heartedly. Carl had crept up behind Daryl and was in total shock from hearing the word baby.

As I stormed past Shane I shoved him back only for him to grab my Armand yank me up in front of him harshly. "I did what I had to do to keep ya'll safe." He spewed the words at me. Daryl shoved him off of me.

"Grab her like that again and the next arrow out my crossbow will go straight into that bald head of yours, ya hear me?" Daryl hissed as he ripped my arm out of Shane's grasp. We headed away from the group and back up to Daryl's new camp away from the others. I was beyond livid at this point.

Daryl sat me down on the brick foundation to an outdoor fireplace next to our tent and checked me over. "We have to go after them." I said my eyes burning. Daryl sighed and sat down next to me once he was sure I'd live with my injuries.

"Ain't know use trying to go after em in the dark, they're probably holed up somewhere for the night. We'll head out at first light and go after them then." He said looking at me. I nodded my head in defeat, he was right. Daryl and I have the same eyes and and jawline. There's no denying we're related. We fight like cats and dogs but he's my brother and he's my only living family member.

"I'm sorry about earlier today, when I verbally bitch slapped you." I said as we stared off into the darkness. Daryl let out a low chuckle. Something he hardly ever did. He slung his arm around my should and let me rest my head on him.

"That's just how Dixon's show there love Riles. Haven't you learned that by now?" He said, causing me to laugh.

"We have to stick together Daryl. This group, it's broken or cracked I don't know which. Shane's going to get us killed." I whispered, finally feeling how tired and worn out Id become.

"Yeah, I know." He replied. We sat there for awhile and watched the low flames from the fire Daryl had going. Eventually we both crashed in our tent for the night. All I could hope was that Daryl was right. Maybe they are okay...

I awoke in the morning curled up next to Dog. He found his way up here in the middle of the night and whined until I let him in the tent despite Daryl's pleas not to. Dog wimps red as I scratched between his ears. "He'll be back. He has too." I whispered. Dog looked at me with eyes full of concern and for a moment I swore he understood me. That's crazy right?

I slipped my boots on and headed out of the tent to find Daryl packing up his gear to head out. He shot me a look through the glare from the sun. "I ain't got all day, let's go find lover boy." He said as I shoved him playfully in the shoulder. My head and neck hurt like hell as we walked towards the house. The others were already packing up to go after them as well. I headed to Bash's tent to grab a sweat shirt, I grabbed his plaid button up and pulled it on. Dog followed me as I walked back towards Daryl. That's when we heard the car coming up the drive, gravel flying high behind it.

The Jeep came to a stop near the house and Rick and the others got out. I didn't see Bash though. My heart sank to my stomach. That's when he sat up in his seat and got out of the jeep. He must have been asleep. He spotted me as I came closer and I walked right into him. He threw his arms around me and held me tight against his chest. I felt him breathing into my neck and i tightened my arms around his neck. He could have squished me to death for all I cared. "You scared the hell outta me." I whimpered out, as he kissed the side of my cheek. "I told you I'd be back." He replied, as he pulled back to look at me.

He caressed my cheek as we leaned our heads together. I smiled at his remark and felt his hand squeeze my side. He tilted my chin up and kissed me lightly on the lips. One kiss was enough to send me flying out of my mind. "What happened to you?" He asked, running his fingers lightly over the gash on the side of my head. Apparently Rick had asked Lori the same thing, because she answered, "We got in an accident coming to look for you." She said, Bash looked at me angrily.

"Prepare the shed for surgery Patricia." I heard Hershel say over my shoulder. That's when I noticed all the blood on the front of Bash's shirt. I stepped back and looked at it touching his chest. "It's not mine. I'm okay." He said quickly, seeing the fear in my eyes. I didn't want to be like this with him, so worried and scared that I could lose him, but I am. He pulled me into him once again and I rested my head on his chest. I felt like I could breath again knowing he was back, knowing they were all back.

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog asked pointing inside the car. That's when I saw another guy sitting in the very back of the jeep. He was tied up and looked unconscious.

"That's Randal." Glenn said looking at us all. I looked up at Bash then at Daryl. What the hell happened out there?


	32. Chapter 32

**This chapter got really long! Sorry I got carried away with all the Briley feels! ;) This chapter contains Mature content so read at your own risk. It gets slightly AU'ish but I will pick right back up with the show soon! Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 32**

**Riley's Point of View**

Bash kept his arms wrapped around me as I peered into the back seat of the Jeep. Randall looked our age maybe even a little younger. There was a blind fold covering his eyes and his hands were tied together. I could see a large amount of blood staining his pants leg. That's how Bash must have gotten all the blood all over him. The group moved forward to examine our new member or prisoner more like it. Shane and Rick shared an uneasy glance at one another and I felt my stomach tighten. None of this is good. I rested my head on Bash's shoulder as Glenn and Daryl helped unload Randall and carry him around back so Hershel could fix whatever was wrong with his leg.

Bash released me and pinched the bridge of his nose, then rubbed the side of his face. He looked exhausted. I caught his eye and he looked away and leaned into the side of the Jeep. "Why the hell would you risk your life to come after us?" He asked me. Because I love you... I thought but didn't say anything along those lines.

"Lori was going after Rick, and I didn't want her to go alone. Plus I was worried about…you." I confessed letting my eyes fall to the ground. I kicked some gravel around with my boot and waiting for him to respond. I heard him let out a sigh and when I looked up at him he was smirking.

"You're something else you know that. You could have been killed." He said placing his hands on my hips and pulling me into him. I buried my face in his chest and felt his arms twisting around me. Bash led me back to his tent so he could change out of his dirty bloody clothes.

He held the tarp door to the tent up so I could walk inside and then he followed after me. I placed my hands in my back pockets and waited for him to change. He pulled his shirt up over his head and winced as he tried to pull his left arm out. "Dammit." He whispered, letting his arm fall. I walked over towards him and helped him get his arm out of the shirt and he gave me an appreciative grin.

"What happened out there?" I asked as he rotated his shoulder slightly, wincing in pain the entire time. I reached up and rubbed his shoulder for him lightly and let my eyes wonder down his chest. He was extremely good looking.

"We found Hershel at the bar and these two assholes showed up. Rick tried to blow them off, hoping they'd leave, but they didn't. They wanted to know where the farm was. We couldn't tell them, so Rick shot them…" He said. I watched his chest muscles tighten and relax as he took each breath. I dropped my hands and immediately turned away from him so he could put a shirt on. Rick shot two people… I mean he probably had to, but I couldn't imagine shooting someone in cold blood, a walker yes. A person I don't know if I could do it, which is why I would probably die.

"We were about to leave after that and the rest of their crew showed up. It just went downhill from that point on." He said as he touched my elbow. He needed help getting his clean shirt on. After I'd helped him he pulled me into a hug. "I'm really glad you're back." I whispered into his chest. I felt him run his hand up and down my back lightly sending shivers down my spine. "I would have done anything to come home to you." Bash said as he looked into my eyes. His eyes were dark brown with flecks of gold in them. He titled my chin up so he could kiss me. Our lips crashed together seamlessly. It was like two pieces of a puzzle being snapped together.

Hershel was able to repair a majority of the damage that had been done to Randall's leg. Apparently the kid fell off of a roof and landed on a wrought iron fence post. If Rick hadn't shoved the kids leg up over the fence post he would have bled to death or been eaten alive. Rick held a meeting later that evening and explained that once Randall had healed up, we'd send him on our way. That he was in no way a threat to us. They had blindfolded him, so I doubt he had seen where we lived. His group left him for dead, so I doubt there's any chance of him finding his group and leading a fire brigade to our front door. Of course Shane thought that was a stupid idea. Only because it wasn't his I thought. Shane's all shoot first ask questions later.

It's been three days since everything had happened. Bash hadn't let me out of his sight since he'd come back. We did our chores and tried to let the adults handle all of the other bullshit. I was sitting outside Daryl's tent fiddling around with the guitar Dale had found from the highway. It was old and completely out of tune, but it was fun to mess with and it kept my mind occupied. I let my fingers strum the strings lightly…

"I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast. And he's gotta be fresh from the fight. I need a hero." I sang the words quietly to myself. My eyes were closed so it startled me to see Bash leaning against a tree staring at me with his arms crossed over his chest. I was about to set the guitar down when Bash sat down behind me on the ground.

"Keep playing. I haven't heard you sing since that night at the CDC." He said kissing my bare shoulder. My green sweater had drifted off my shoulder because it was two sizes too big. I didn't like singing in front of people. The only reason I did before was because I was completely high and unaware of what I was doing. I laughed nervously as he kissed my shoulder again.

"I don't want too." I told him as he rolled his eyes and nudged the side of my face with his own.

"Please?" He whispered in my ear. I could feel him breathing on my neck and it was driving me crazy in the best possible way. Taking a deep breath I picked the guitar back up and began playing the melody again. Bash looked at me and smirked knowing he'd won.

"Where have all the good men gone. And where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules, to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need." I closed my eyes and sang the words out. When I opened my eyes I noticed how Bash was staring at me. It was like he saw right through me.

"I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast. And he's gotta be fresh from the fight. I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light. He's gotta be sure, he's gotta be soon. And he's gotta be larger than life." I sang the chorus and then stopped abruptly too embarrassed to continue. Bash grinned and ducked his head down. I laughed as I sat the guitar in the grass beside us. Bash leaned over and kissed me, caressing my cheek lightly. His hands were rough, but they were exactly where mine belonged.

"Can I show you something?" He whispered as our foreheads rested against one another. "Of course." I replied, as he pulled away and then pulled me to my feet. We walked hand in hand towards the end of Hershel's property. There was an old shed just past the duck pond I hadn't really noticed before. Bash let go of my hand and pushed the doors open effortlessly, revealing a Classic Ford Mustang partially restored. "This is Hershel's?" I asked as we walked inside to take a look at it. It was burgundy in color with black leather seats on the inside. "Apparently it came with the house when Hershel bought it. He said it was a pain in the ass to fix, so he gave up on it. He told me if I wanted it I could have it." He said, as he ran his hand over the roof of the car. We stared at each other from opposite sides of the car.

"So this is where you've been sneaking off to when you can't sleep." I said, cocking my head to the side and laughing. He smirked and tapped his hands on the roof of the car. "Here I thought you had another girlfriend." I teased as he made his way around to me. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me into him slightly. I placed my hands on his chest as he bit his lip slightly.

"Who says I have a girlfriend?" He said nonchalantly.

"I didn't mean that I… or I was your...I…" I stuttered the words until he kissed me unexpectedly. He nibbled on my bottom lip as he pulled away. "Relax Dixon, not everything you say is going to get you in trouble." He whispered, pulling me into another long kiss. I felt his tongue graze my lip as he slipped his hand under the hem of my shirt. His hand felt like fire against my skin. "I only want you." He breathed out, taking a break.

"I…I was wondering if you wanted to take a drive with me somewhere really quick. I wanted to show you something I think you'd like." He asked me, I nodded my head yes and let him usher me into the passenger seat. We shouldn't leave the farm, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him no. How could I? I am completely lost in him. I'm that girl. Bash got in the car and started it. "It runs!" I said, laughing at him.

We rolled the windows down and headed down the driveway. Daryl was on Randall duty so I doubt he would even know we were gone. I spotted Dog lying under a tree gnawing on a stick as we turned onto the main road. Bash placed his hand on my thigh as he drove down the road. I had no idea where he was taking me. "You know you just ran that stop sign right?" I said pointedly then laughing, looking at him.

He slowed down and stopped and backed up to the stop sign. "Happy now, princess?" He said smartly. The roads were empty. We were the only car out here. I busted out laughing uncontrollably, causing him to laugh. He placed his hand on the back of my seat and stared at me. "You can go now." I laughed.

"I'm just waiting for the little old lady to cross the road." He joked.

"Oh I didn't see her." I replied, smiling.

"So can I drive?" I asked, scooting closer to him across the bench seat. He held back a laugh as he finished pulling me towards him.

"Hell no, not happening." He said flatly. What is it with guys and cars and not wanting to let a girl drive? I will never understand their logic. I felt his eyes going up and down my body as we sat there staring at each other. He ran his fingers through the back of my hair lightly. Letting them get tangled in my loose curls.

"Since we are stopped…" Bash whispered as he leaned in to kiss me. His hand touched the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him until our lips touched. There was something different about the way he kissed me. It wasn't as soft and gentle like it usually was. He wasn't being rough, but more assertive. It was like he wanted more, or he needed more.

I placed my hands around his neck as he touched my thigh. His hand slipped between my legs and he squeezed my thigh gently causing me to arch my back. He slid his hand down out of my hair and rested it on the small of my back as our lips crashed together once again. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was going to die of a heart attack right here and now. Bash moved his hand from my thigh to my stomach as he inched his hand under the hem of my shirt gradually.

"Bash, what are we doing?" I breathed out as he kissed the side of my neck and nibbled on my ear. He licked the side of my neck and breathed on my neck. He found my lips again and pushed his hand further up my shirt touching my breast and groaning in my ear. I wanted this with him, but I pulled away. He wouldn't want me if he saw me anyway. I abruptly untangled myself from him and looked down at my boots.

"Where'd you go?" He asked out of breath as he tried to kiss my cheek. He looked at me confused and hurt. I ruin everything. I covered my face with my hands and rested my elbows on my knees. "Hey, what's going on?" He pressed again, forcing me to sit up and look at him. He smiled halfheartedly.

"What is it? You've got that look where you want to tell me something, but you don't want me to know." He said, rubbing my arm. I have to tell him…"You're not going to want me Bash. I…I…I'm disgusting." I whispered holding back tears. Bash shook his head and touched my face wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

"That's not the only scar I have." I said touching the scar on my neck. His eyes drifted to my neck and he ran his fingers over the whitish scar on my neck from where my father had cut me.

"I have them everywhere...I look like a whipping post. It's not pretty. I don't even like to look at myself." I said as he sat back in his seat and looked out the windshield. He didn't say anything.

Bash put the car in gear and continued down the road. He didn't look angry he just looked confused. I feel like such an idiot. I stared out the window at the autumn trees as they blurred by. Bash took an old dirt road back about two miles until we came to a bridge. He stopped the car and turned off the engine. There was a river flowing underneath. We could hear the water lapping below us. It was beautiful. I felt Bash touch my shoulder so I looked up at him.

"Maybe... If you show me it won't be that bad. If I'm completely repulsed I'll tell you." He spoke softly. If I just show him at least I'll know what he really thinks, instead of me playing out every possible horrid scenario in my mind. It's hard enough thinking about him seeing me undressed, let alone covered in scars from years of abuse. Quick like a band aide.

I lifted my sweater and tank top up exposing my back to him. Revealing scars where I'd been beat for coming in late or coming in the house to loudly. There were cigarette burns near my shoulder blades from where I talked back in front of my fathers friends making him look like an idiot. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath. I felt Bash run his fingers over my back, tracing the imperfections.

I let my shirts fall down and turned to look at him. He cleared his throat and tucked some hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. "All I see is you." He said sweetly, pulling me into a small kiss. "You're beautiful scars and all." He whispered as his lips landed on my own. We leaned our heads together and kissed innocently.

Bash pulled me on his lap in the front seat and held me as we got lost in each other. I moved so I was straddling him and caused the horn to go off. I froze immediately and then we both cracked up laughing. Bash placed his hands on my hips and pulled me into him as much as possible. I pulled my hair to one side and leaned down to kiss him. I kissed everywhere but his lips causing him to smirk and pull my face towards his. He didn't care what I looked like. He just wanted me. Things were escalating when I pulled back to catch my breath. "Do you want too?" He whispered locking his eyes with my own. They were smoldering.

I lifted my sweater up over my head and dropped it on the seat beside us, leaving me with my tank top. Bash leaned forward and pulled his t shirt off and through it on the floorboard. I bit my lip as he kissed me. I let my hands run down his bare chest while he kissed my neck letting his hands get tangled in my hair. He lifted my tank top over my head quickly pulling me into him.

We didn't have a lot of room in the front seat of the car, but we managed to find a comfortable spot. Bash lied me on my back and continued to send shivers down my spine. I was so nervous, my hands were trembling. I've never done anything like this with anyone. There was a blanket in the backseat that we covered up with once we were down to our underwear. "Are you sure?" He asked me. "I'm sure." I whispered as we removed the rest of our clothes.

Bash pushed himself on top of me and continued to kiss me tenderly on the lips. He was trying to be gentle and sweet. It had stated raining soaking the windshield. Bash's hands wondered down my sides and grasped my thighs tightly as he pushed into me. I winced out and pain and felt his warm breath on my neck. I've seen sex in movies and it looks all romantic and everything but they never tell you that it hurts. It was like trying to fit a hotdog in a keyhole. I let out another wince as we continued, I dug my nails into his back and arched my back. He let out a low growl in my ear as I winced again. "Do you want me to stop?" He asked out of breath. "No," I breathed out.

I never wanted the high of this feeling to wear off. All we are is skin and bone. So exposed and so vulnerable. Every spark in my body was flying at his every touch. When we were done I ended up lying on his chest as he grazed his fingertips up and down my bare back. We lied there and listened to the rain as it fell lightly outside the car. The smell of fresh rain wafted through the open windows along with a cool breeze. I snuggled into Bash's bare chest as he pulled the blanket up on me. We hadn't really spoke since we'd stopped kissing and... I was worried I had done something wrong. I peeked up at Bash when he'd stopped moving his hand on my back. "Do you still like me?" I asked timidly.

He held back a chuckle and pulled me into another kiss. "No I don't like you." He said seriously causing my stomach to flip.

"I should have said it a long time ago. I'm not saying it now because we just had sex, but I love you. I've been in love with you for a while." He said as I stated at him. It's like we found wonderland and got lost in it. None of the bad things happening in the world mattered right now. It was the two of us and nothing else. "I love you." He whispered again...


	33. Chapter 33

**Not my best chapter... May rewrite this later on. Just wanted to post something! So yeah let me know whatcha think !**

**Chapter 33**

**Riley's Point of View**

Bash pulled me into a long slow kiss. I smiled shyly and buried my face into his bare chest. His skin was soft and warm on my face. "I love you too." I whispered to him. He wrapped his strong arms around me and before I knew it we were both drifting off to sleep…

We must have slept for a good two hours lying curled into each other in the front seat of that car. I slowly opened my eyes and felt Bash playing with my hair. I sat up partially and looked at him, resting my hand on his chest. "I can't believe we fell asleep. We should head back; they'll wonder where we are. Daryl will wonder where I am." I whispered as I traced a heart on his shoulder with my finger. I'd almost thought I dream that we had done what we just did, but waking up partially naked on him told me otherwise.

"We are already gone we might as well make the most of it." He said. I felt my cheeks get warm as I wrapped the blanket around myself and sat up. He gave me a devilish grin and pulled me into a sweet innocent kiss that took my breath away. "Down boy." I laughed out playfully pushing him back. He smirked and handed me his grey thermal long sleeved t shirt.

"Don't look." I whispered as he got dressed. Bash laughed as he pulled his jeans and t shirt on. I waited for him to finish and close his eyes before I finished getting dressed.

"Seriously, Riles? After everything we just did and you're still acting shy?" He said as he held his hand over his eyes. I got dressed and leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He cupped my chin in his hands and stared at me. "You're so beautiful." He whispered. Oh god, we are never going to leave this car. Not that I am complaining I wouldn't mind being trapped in here with him forever.

"You're so dorky." I replied grinning. He shook his head and kissed my nose lightly before sliding back into the driver's seat. He kept a one hand feel on the steering wheel and the other around me on the drive back to the farm. It was nearly dusk out when we parked the car back in the shed. Daryl's probably going to murder me for leaving the farm, but damn it was worth it.

No one seemed to notice we had been gone, which was a slight relief. I can't believe I just lost my virtue in the front seat of his car. How high school is that? As cliché as it was I wouldn't have changed a single thing about it. It was perfect. He was perfect and so sweet about the entire thing. I laughed to myself as we walked hand in hand towards the camp. "Did you mean it?" I asked before we reached the camp. He said he loved me. I'm still not sure I even know what love is. I guess love is that feeling of not wanting to loose someone. Caring for them so much that it hurts. That's love.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." He whispered as he pulled me into a hug. I snuggled myself into his chest as we finished making our way into camp. We ate dinner with the group and no one knew what we had done. We shared quiet glances with each other the entire evening sitting by the fire.

Bash walked me to Daryl's tent up on the hill before he went to bed. He was kissing me goodnight when Daryl walked up and slung to dead squirrels on the ground by his simmering fire. I pulled away from Bash slightly feeling awkward. "Where the hell you all been?" Daryl asked as he sat down and started to skin the squirrels. I was caught off guard by his question so I said nothing…

"We went out to the shooting area for a bit. I thought sure shot here could use the extra practice." Bash said smoothly. Daryl chuckled lightly at his comment and that was that. Daryl watched as we said goodnight and it felt like daggers were digging into the back of me. I sat down next to Daryl and started to help him with the squirrels when he glared at me.

"What?" I asked placing pieces of the squirrel over the open grate sitting on the fire.

"It required his shirt to go to the shooting range?" He said peeling back the skin off the poor little furry woodland creature. I looked at the fire so I didn't have to see it.

"I was cold." I said curtly. Daryl nodded his head and continued about his business. Eventually I went to bed and I couldn't stop thinking about Bash and what we had done. I was curled on my side in the middle of the night listening to Daryl snore on the other side of the tent when I realized we hadn't used protection…

We weren't really thinking about it at all. What if I get pregnant? I don't want that. I don't want to end up like Lori. Having a child in a world like this is a death sentence. We don't want to be parents. My head ached from all of the thoughts chasing each other around in my head. We screwed up. Maybe it'll be fine. What are the odds of it happening, right? All of my overthinking is ruining the most beautiful moment I've ever had in my entire life. I closed my eyes and willed myself to go to sleep. The thoughts will be gone in the morning I kept telling myself.

The thoughts were still there when I woke up in the morning. I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a grey v neck with a pocket in the front. I hadn't slept much all night so I was pretty agitated all day while I did chores around the farm. I had just finished feeding the chickens when I spotted Lori talking to Shane and Rick. They were getting ready to head out to find a place to drop Randall away from the farm. I waited for them to leave then met her halfway in the driveway. "Hey sweetie, you seen Carl?" She asked, as I stepped in stride with her.

"I think he was feeding the ducks." I said staring at the ground.

"Can I talk to you for a second." I asked as she stopped and looked at me. Her belly was beginning to show just ever so slightly.

"Everything alright?" Lori asked, as she stared at me intently. Her face was full of concern, exactly like a mother would be.

"I don't really know…I mean I don't have anyone else to turn to, but Bash and I we…slept together yesterday and I was wondering if you still had any of the morning after pills left that I got you." I asked, my eyes darting around looking for Daryl. He would murder me. Like literally murder me, put me in the ground and cover my grave with dirt. Then he'd kill Bash. Lori looked at me surprised and taken aback. Then she composed herself and pulled me into a tiny hug.

"You didn't use protection?" She whispered as we walked towards her tent.

"We weren't really thinking about it." I replied.

Lori went inside her tent for a few seconds and came back out with a small box of pills. I slipped them into my back pocket and thanked her. "Please don't tell Daryl." I pleaded with her.

"I'm not going to say anything. You did the right thing by coming to me. It'll be alright." Lori said as she hugged me again. It was nice to have her hug me. She stroked my hair in that motherly way and it made me miss my mother. Even though she rarely ever acted like Lori. I wonder if she's out there alive or if she's turned into one of those drooling flesh eating freaks. I wonder if she's missing me wherever she may be. I would never admit that I missed her out loud.

Bash was off with Glenn checking the fences so I walked back up to mine and Daryl's tent and pulled the box of pills out of my back pocket and took them. It's better to be safe than sorry. I was about to head off to find Bash when I turned around and smacked right into Daryl, dropping the pill box in the process. "Walk much?" Daryl joked as he picked up the box. I tried to snatch it out of his hand before he could read it.

Daryl stared at the tiny purple box and then looked at me. "What the hell are you doing with the morning after pill?" He hissed. My heart was thumping so loud I thought my eardrums we're going to bust. "Son of a bitch." He said throwing the box down and storming out of the tent. I ran after him as he went to find Bash no doubt.

"Daryl whatever you're going to do don't!" I yelled trying to get in front of him.

"How could you be so damn stupid! I told you he was playing you and you slept with him? What the hells the matter with you!" He yelled back at me as he spotted Bash down by the fences with Glenn. I pulled and yanked on Daryl but it didn't do any good. He had his sights set on Bash and there was no changing his mind.

Bash saw Daryl coming so he walked up the hill only for Daryl to whip his arm back and punch Square in the jaw. "That's my little sister, you hear me. You keep your damn hands off her!" He snarled.

"Daryl stop!" I yelled as Bash stumbled backwards. They yelled at each other and Bash tried to go back at Daryl until I slammed my hands into his chest trying to hold him back.

"You get your shit and you get the hell off this farm! You hear me!" Daryl said as he shoved Bash again.

"Go to hell man! You don't own her, she's your sister she can do whatever she wants!" Bash spat back at him.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I pleaded with them. Bash spit blood out of his mouth on the ground as Daryl stood his ground. "Get your shit and go!" Daryl ordered again. He wasn't going to leave Bash alone until he did. Bash looked at me and then started to walk to his tent to gather his belongings. Daryl following right behind him like a rat terrier.

"You can't do this!" I told Daryl as I watched Bash pack his bag. He slung his clothes in his bag and what few possessions he had. I felt the tears streaming down my face as he shrugged into jacket and swung his bag over his shoulder. Daryl stood there and watched as my entire world was being torn away from me.

Bash came out of his tent and looked at me then Daryl. I wiped the tears off my check with the palm of my hand and walked into him despite Daryl's presence. I locked my arms around his neck as he held me in his arms. He ran his hand up into the back of my messy bun and looked at me. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. I love you." He said sternly before staring at Daryl and stepping back away from me.

Bash turned and started to walk down the driveway towards the she's with the car without looking back. "Don't go!" I cried. I shoved Daryl and tried to go after him but he grabbed my arm. I watched as Bash left.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been sick and school has been taking up all of my time unfortunately. But I hope you like this chapter. I'm hoping to get another one or two chapters up later on tonight so stay tuned! We are almost at the beginning of Season 3! Is there anything you guys would like to see happen? Let me know! Thank you to all the new followers and reviewers!**

**Chapter 34 **

**Riley's Point of View**

A huge lump had formed in the back of my throat as I stood on the gravel driveway and watched Bash leave. I wiped away the tears that had clouded my vision and turned to face Daryl. He had a smug look on his face that I just wanted to slap off. "Why? Why did you do that?" I yelled at him, my voice rising in anger.

"I'm protecting you!" Daryl spat back at me before turning to walk away. Protecting me? How the hell is sending him away protecting me? Bash has never done anything but make me feel happy. I guess that's just not something us Dixon's are allowed to be, happy. An inaudible noise escaped from the back of my throat as I shoved passed Daryl.

"You're protecting me by hurting me? That's some pretty twisted logic there bro!" I snapped back at him. Daryl shook his head in disgust and stormed off. Lori had come out of the house in search of Maggie and witnessed the entire ordeal with Daryl and Bash. She gave me a sympathetic look before pulling me into a hug. I cried quietly into Lori's shoulder as she led me back towards the house.

I spent the rest of the day pissed off and worried to death about Bash. He has no one else but us. He has nowhere else to go. This is his home. Daryl had no right to do what he did. I know he thinks that Bash is just like every other guy, but he's not. He's helped me more than anyone. I finished my chores for the day and ignored Daryl as much as possible which wasn't hard because he was avoiding me too.

Later that evening Rick and Shane returned with Randall. They had planned on letting him go eighteen miles away from camp. We were hoping that he wouldn't run into anyone from his group so we would all still be safe here on the farm. Apparently Randall had informed Rick and Shane while they were away that he knew Maggie. They had gone to high school together. So he knew where Maggie lived. He knew where the farm was. Rick and Shane decided it would be best if they just took care of Randall themselves.

It's been two days since Daryl forced Bash to leave and he is all I can think about. I tossed and turned all night long unable to sleep. If something happens to him because of me I will never forgive myself. Maybe we moved to fast, maybe we shouldn't have slept together. But Daryl had no right tear him away from me. I have to know if he's okay. It's killing me knowing he's out there all alone.

Daryl was off "talking" to Randall trying to find out as much information he could about Randall's group. We all knew he was in there beating the crap out of him to get him to talk. Well not all of us, but I knew. I pulled on my green jacket with black leather sleeves and quietly slipped away from the group. There's only one place I know Bash might have went when he left the farm and that's the bridge where we…I felt my cheeks getting warm as the memory flashed in my mind.

I cut through the woods on foot because it would be obvious if I took a car. The air was cool and crisp this morning. My boots crunched and shuffled the fallen autumn leaves as I wove in and out of branches and stumbled over tree roots. I came to a clearing and stopped when I heard twigs snapping behind me. I gradually turned on my heel to see Carl peeking around a tree trunk, the tip of his Sheriffs hat sticking out just enough to spot him. "I can see you!" I sighed as I walked towards him. What is he doing out here? Carl walked on top of a fallen tree and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and placed my hands in my jacket pockets. "What are you doing out here?" I asked, looking at him sternly. He knows better than to wonder out her alone.

"What are you doing out here?" Carl mocked me, then laughed and stood in front of me. I shook my head and let out a small laugh. This kid is something else. I can't help notice how much he's grown since I first met him. He's still just a kid though trying to understand all of this. "You need to go back to camp!" I said, placing my hands on his shoulders and turning him in the right direction.

"You're going after Bash aren't you?" He questioned me. He looked up at me and grinned. "No, I am walking you back to camp." I said as we started to head back.

"I'm fine; I can make it back on my own. I'm tired of everyone treating me like a child. Go after Bash. Make him come back. He was teaching me how to play liars poker." Carl said turning to look up at me with those twinkling green eyes of his.

"Fine, but you go straight back to camp. Understand?" I said kneeling down in front of him. He's only ten minutes from camp right now, but a lot can happen in ten minutes. Carl nodded and hugged me briefly before taking off in a run towards the house. I scratched the back of my neck and hesitated before pushing on.

It took me about twenty minutes to reach the bridge once I made it to the main road. I walked down the dirt road and smiled when I spotted the Mustang parked where we had parked. As I approached the car I noticed he wasn't inside of it. His bag was, but he wasn't. I looked around letting the wind blow my hair every which way. It seemed to quiet out, it felt almost eerie. I turned around when I heard something below the bridge. A few seconds later Bash emerged from the hill carrying a bottle of water.

He smiled when he saw me and dropped the bottle as I threw my arms around him. He clutched me to his chest and leaned his face against my own. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what happened." I cried into his shoulder, suddenly extremely emotional. He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me repeatedly on the lips until I smiled. "It's not your fault." He whispered back to me before pulling me into another warm and inviting hug.

"I thought something happened to you." I whispered as he held me against his side and leaned into the car. He rubbed his hand up and down my back sending sparks flying everywhere in my body. "I'm too stubborn to die." He joked, I laughed even though it wasn't remotely funny. "Being away from you is the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time." He said as I looked up at his face. He looked tired and worried, his default setting most days but otherwise he looked alright.

We stayed wrapped up in each other's arms a majority of the day. We'd curled up with each other in the front seat of the car. Bash was holding me on his lap as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. "You know when I left; I wasn't leaving you, right?" He said after a familiar silence had fallen over us. He tilted my chin up so he could see my face, "I do now." I whispered before he kissed me gently on the lips. His hand felt warm on the side of my face and neck as he let it fall to my side. I closed my eyes and felt myself finally relax for an instant. I placed my hand on Bash's cheek causing him to kiss my fingers making me smile.

"I'll walk you back. I don't want you out here walking around at night alone." He urged me as I slid off his lap on to the seat. I shook my head no, as in I didn't want to leave just yet and he leaned his head against mine. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here. I'm always going to be here." He whispered as he kissed me once again. It killed me to pull away from him.

Bash walked with me almost all the way back to camp. We stopped to say goodnight just before the fence to the pastures. It was dark out now; the only thing we could see were one another's shadows. Bash slipped his arms around my waist as I wrapped my own around his. We stood there in silence for a few minutes when we heard a rustling up over the hill. I pulled away from Bash and looked at him as he took my hand and we headed over the hill to check it out.

We had just crested the hill when we heard someone let out a blood curdling scream. Bash and I broke into a run and then skidded to a stop when we saw a walker attacking Dale. Bash let go of my hand and yanked the walker off Dale then stabbed in the head with his knife. "Help! We need help!" He yelled as I stumbled to my knees on the ground beside Dale.

The walker had ripped his neck wide open and had started to shred his stomach wide open. "Help!" I screamed again as we tried to stop the bleeding. Daryl was the first one to get to us. He glanced at Bash and me and then down at Dale. The others were running towards us from the house. Dale let out sobs and garbled words as tears filled his eyes. I looked down at my blood soaked hands and lost it. My hands were shaking as I tried to close the gap in the side of his neck. "Get her back." Daryl told Bash.

After that I felt Bash pulling me to my feet as Andrea and Rick made it to us out in the field. Dale laid there fidgeting in agony in the tall grass as Daryl yelled for more help. Bash pulled me into his chest and tried to keep me from looking but it was useless. I had already seen enough.

The next few minutes went by in slow motion as everyone gathered around Dale and tried to figure out what to do. I already knew he was gone. "We need to move him to the house!" Rick said as he attempted to pick Dale up. Hershel stopped him and shook his head no. "He won't make it that far. There's nothing we can do." He said solemnly.

"He's suffering." Andrea said as she looked up from Dale's side to Rick. Rick upholstered his weapon and held it firmly in his hands. He needed to put him out of his misery. It was cruel to let him lie here in pain for however long it would take for him to pass on. "Do something." Andrea cried out while Dale coughed up blood.

Rick raised his weapon and pointed it at Dales head, but hesitated. I felt Bash turn my head into his chest as I held my eyes shut in preparation for the loud shot that was about to go off. I flinched as I heard the shot and let out a low scream into Bash's shoulder. My ears rang out as I opened my eyes and saw Daryl kneeling on the ground beside Dale holding the gun. "I'm sorry brother." He whispered almost to himself.

I closed my eyes again and felt Bash hold me tightly against his chest as I listened to the sound of everyone crying. Bash buried his face into the side of my neck and I could feel him breathing into my hair. I don't think any of us moved for over an hour. We were all shock. Lori ushered Carl, Bash and I back towards camp while the others dealt with Dale's body.

I was standing by the fire when I realized I still had Dale's blood all over my hands. I looked down at my hands and felt like I wanted to puke. I ran to the water well and immediately tried to scrub it off. The tears poured out of my eyes as I continued to scrub my hands. I slid to my knees in the dirt and furiously knocked a bucket of water over. Bash made his way to me and knelt down beside me and finished washing my hands off for me without saying a word…Before I knew it he'd led me to Daryl's tent and was putting me to bed like a small child.

"Are you leaving?" I whispered to him as he sat down behind me on the ground. He lay on his side and wrapped his arm around me. "Not a chance." He said before he kissed the side of my cheek…


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**Riley's Point of View**

I awoke in the morning to the sound of voices talking. I opened my eyes and felt Bash's jacket draped across my arms and could hear his voice outside of the tent. He was talking to Daryl. My first instinct was to run out there and intervene, but it didn't sound like they were about to kill each other so I waited and listened.

"I get she's your sister, and you want to protect from everything and everyone. But it's not…I'm not leaving her. No matter what you say or what you do. So you need to get the hell over it and accept it." I heard Bash say plainly. He wasn't joking. I waited to hear Daryl punch him or shove him but he didn't. I quietly changed my clothes as I listened to them talk. I pulled on my last clean pair of faded light blue ripped up jeans, and a cream colored floral quarter sleeve shirt and layered it with my North Face sweatshirt.

"Riley is my only family. I didn't realize how much you meant to her…how much she needed you until I saw the two of you last night with Dale and then when I saw you two in the tent." Daryl sighed and I heard him walk around.

"I don't have to like it, you and her but I'll learn to accept it." Daryl said before I decided to exit the tent. They both looked at me with that deer in the head light look before Daryl nodded his head to me and started to head down towards the house. Bash glanced at me and we walked towards the house as well.

"What was that all about." I whispered as I felt him slip his hand in my own. He lightly squeezed my hand and draped his arm over my shoulder pulling me into his side. "Don't you worry your pretty little mind about it." He whispered as I looked at him.

We held a tiny service for Dale to say goodbye to him. We all stood around his grave and spoke about what good man he was. The images of his blood on my hands kept flickering in my mind as I listened to Rick speak. Dale was a good man, he believed that even in a world as screwed up as this we could all still hold on to the things that make us, us. Just because the world changed didn't mean we had too. While I was off with Bash he was here trying to convince everyone to spare Randall's life, to give him a chance to prove his worth… He wanted to give Randal a chance just like Hershel had given us.

Once the service was over we headed back into our little makeshift camp. "Fifteen people in one house. It's going to be crowded. Are you sure about this?" Rick asked Hershel as Bash let me lean against his chest. "We'll make do. We should have moved you all in long before this." Hershel replied, patting Maggie on the shoulder.

"Yeah with the swamp and the creek drying up and a fifty head of cattle we are practically ringing a damn dinner bell." Maggie said, looking around at everyone. "Alright then, we should move the cars towards the house and set up points for look outs." Rick suggested as we all started to pack up the camp.

I helped Lori carrying bags inside the house and set them in the living room. "So Bash is back?" She asked me arching her eyebrows at me. I glanced at Bash and Daryl loading wood into the back of the Hatchback to repair one of the barn windows. "I think so. They worked out their differences for now" I said as I took a heavy tub out of her hands. She smiled and touched my cheek before sending me on my way. I carried my bag upstairs into Beth's room and sat it down in the corner of the room. She had two beds in the room so I sat down for a minute. I glanced up to see Bash standing in the doorway. He smirked and crept into the room. "Letting everyone else do all the work huh?" He said sarcastically as he sat down beside me on the bed. I felt my heart skip a thousand beats when he placed his hand on my leg. "You're so not funny." I retorted letting him kiss me tenderly on the lips.

I stood up before I let myself get lost in him, he grabbed my hands and pulled me in front of him and looked up at me. "Come on, we have things to do." I said as I pulled him playfully out of the room and down the stairs.

We were standing on the front porch when he picked me up bridal style and carried me through the yard. I laughed and kissed him on the cheek so he would set me down. "I'm starving. I want a fucking cheeseburger or something." Bash whispered as we walked over towards what was left of our tiny camp to grab a few remaining bags. "I'll make you something when we're finished out here." I laughed as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Glenn and Andrea were moving the RV towards the back of the house. Rick and Daryl were gearing up to take Randall out and set him loose.

"Randall's gone!" T-Dog yelled from the shed where Randall had been tied up in. Everyone rushed to the shed in a panic and watched as Rick inspected the shed. The cuffs were still intact and the door had been locked from the outside. How the hell he got out is beyond me. "He slipped out of the cuffs?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's possible. It hurt's like a bitch though." Bash said placing his hand on the small of my back. I looked at him incredulously for a moment then zoned back in on Rick. When was Bash ever in handcuffs? I have a feeling there's a story behind that but not right now.

"Rick! Rick!" I heard Shane yell as he ran out of the tree line, his nose was gushing with blood like someone had cold cocked him the face. "He's armed and he's got my gun!" Shane hollered as he got closer. His voice echoed out across the field.

"Little bastard snuck up on me and smashed me in the face." Shane said wiping the blood off his upper lip. Rick ran his hands through his hair nervously and then placed one hand on his holstered weapon.

"Alright, T-Dog and Glenn I want you guys to get everyone back inside the house and lock the doors. Daryl and Bash grab a weapon and come with me." Rick ordered as most of us started back towards the house. I latched onto Daryl's arm and he looked at me. He pulled me into a half hug and the pushed me towards the house. Bash kissed the side of my cheek and whispered I love you in my ear before he took off with my brother, Shane and Rick…

They've been gone three hours. I've chewed my finger nails almost completely off and I can't sit still. I've paced the length of Hershel's living room about twenty times waiting for them to come back. Lori wrapped her arm around my shoulder and forced me to sit down next to her on the couch. I started tapping my foot slightly probably annoying everyone else in the room. I didn't care though; it's the only thing keeping me from throwing up. My brother and Bash are both out there wondering through the woods looking for Randall. I should have gone with them; we shouldn't have split up like this. When we split up bad things happen.

I never noticed how much Hershel's home reminded me of my grandmother's house. It just has the homey safe feeling; it even smells like an old person's home. I focused my attention on the 'Bless This Mess' sign hanging in the kitchen. We heard the screen door in the kitchen clang open and shut and saw Daryl come into view shortly followed by Bash. I had to refrain from tackling them both. I jumped up and hugged Daryl despite how much he hated hugs. He nodded letting me know he was alright and then I hugged Bash.

"Rick and Shane aren't back yet?" Daryl asked Lori.

"We found Randall, he was a walker." Bash said looking at everyone.

"Well did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

"He wasn't bit. His neck was snapped. The funny thing is Shane said he followed Randall. Their tracks were on top of one another. They were together." Daryl said as Lori began pacing the floors. She ran her hand through her hair nervously before asking Daryl to get back out there and find Rick. I followed Daryl and Bash onto the front porch and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a herd of walkers making their way through the pastures towards the house.

"Oh my god." I whispered, there were hundreds of them steadily moving this way. Bash slipped his hand in mine and intertwined our fingers together while we tried to come up with a game plan. Andrea ran inside to get the bag of guns while I killed the lights to the front porch and living room and kitchen. I ran back outside and watched as the swarm of walkers closed in.

"Can't we just let them pass like on the highway?" Glenn whispered as Andrea handed me a pistol. I checked the chamber and Bash reached over and took the safety off. "Herd that size will rip the damn house to shreds." He whispered back as I touched Daryl's shoulder. He looked at me as I mouthed what do we do?

"Carl's not upstairs!" Lori shouted quietly as she came to the front door out of breath. "What do you mean?" I asked as she panicked and searched the yard. "He's supposed to be upstairs and he's not!" she said again with and edge to her voice. "We'll find him!" I reassured her.

We ran inside and searched the house from top to bottom. I checked under each bed just in case he was hiding for some reason. I always used to hide under the bed when my parents fought and argued. It was a safe place. I ran down the stairs and almost smacked into Lori. "I can't find him." I said as we passed each other. I headed to the basement, "Carl this shit isn't funny anymore!" I yelled before making my way upstairs. My heart was pounding in my ears as I heard gun shots go off outside. I froze on the steps before running to look out one of the windows.

"The barn's on fire!" Beth said as I moved beside her to see the entire walker barn engulfed in flames.

"Maybe Rick set it to draw them away." I said, as I heard Lori rush into the room behind me.

"He's not here! Dammit! What do I do?" Lori shouted out of breath and frazzled to no end.

"Maybe he's outside, he probably snuck out." I said as I pushed past her to the front door. Walkers were crawling everywhere. Daryl and Bash were nowhere in sight. I wanted to scream but I tried to stay calm. I headed off the porch and held my gun in my hand as more shots' rang out across the darkened night sky.

I shot at a walker as I ran through the yard. The farm was in total chaos. The walkers moaning and groaning by, shots being fired repeatedly, it was like a war zone. Come on Carl, why did you do this? Where the hell is he? I ran around towards the barn that was on fire and spotted Rick and Carl running away from the RV.

"Riley!" Rick yelled urging me to look behind me. A walker was almost on top of me when I turned around and shot it square in the face. Blood splattered all over the side of my face. I shot at another walker but missed when I felt Rick pulling me along beside him. Carl latched onto my arm as we ran.

We cut through the woods behind the barn and the house and wrapped back around the front of the farm. My lungs felt like they were going to explode. I could hardly run and breathe at the same time anymore. I kept looking for Daryl and Bash but couldn't see them.

Hershel was firing rounds at the walkers when we got to him. Rick took out a walker before it could get to Hershel a then pulled him towards the Jeep nearby. "We have to go!" He yelled as he ushered us towards the car. "Where's Lori?" He screamed at Hershel.

"I don't know! They just keep coming!" Hershel hollered back over all of the noise from the walkers and gunfire. The barn had all but collapsed from the fire that was raging high into the night sky. Rick got Carl in the car and fired off more rounds dropping nearby walkers.

"Daryl!" I screamed looking around in a panic. "Bash!" I screamed again as Rick pulled me towards the Jeep. "I can't leave without them!" I shouted as I shoved him away from me.

"Get in the car!" He ordered before forcing me in the car. Rick got in and took off down the driveway!

"You have to let me out, I have to find them!" I pleaded with them as Hershel held my arm to keep me from jumping out of the moving vehicle. I cried and slammed my hand into the glass window in frustration. What if they were both gone…


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Woot! And this chapter will end Season 2! I hope you guys are still enjoying this story! I've had so much fun working on this and sort of wish Riley and Bash were on the show for real, a girl can dream right? **

**With Thanksgiving coming this Thursday for me here I won't be able to update until Sunday most likely. I'm going to try and update again tomorrow, but I need your help... Should I skip ahead to Season 3 or would you guys like to see one or two winter chapters? Let me know in the reviews! Thank you for reading this guys! Happy Holidays! :)**

**Chapter 36**

**Riley's Point of View**

We could see the remaining boards that had just hardly been holding the barn together crumble to ground from the back window of the Jeep as we tore down the driveway like a bat out of hell. The walkers were everywhere. It looked like someone dumped a thousand of them on the property and just vanished into thin air to watch the show. They're the hunters and we are the foxes running for cover.

My breathing was rapid and I felt like I was about to pass out. I raised an unsteady hand and wiped the side of my cheek as I pulled my feet up onto the seat and buried my face on top of my knees. I rocked back and forth to the rhythm of the car riding on the uneven back roads of the country.

It was supposed to be safe here. What if Daryl and Bash were torn to shreds by those flesh eating freaks? What if I'm going to end up alone? If they're dead I'd rather be dead too, because living without them would be pointless. I couldn't handle it. I felt the rush of tears come as I let out a breath.

"Where are we going dad?" Carl asked from the front seat. I've been hardly holding it together; I never even thought how he might be doing. He seemed overly calm for some reason which I thought was a little odd, although Carl has always been a bit calmer than you'd expect a kid his age to be in times of crisis. It makes me feel like a big baby for sitting back here crying my eyes out.

"I think we should head to the highway where we broke down. Mom and the others should be there." Rick said as he looked at me through the rearview mirror. He was talking to me as much as he was talking to Carl. His face was splattered with drying walker blood.

Eventually Rick pulled over so Hershel and Carl could switch places. Carl and I curled up with each other until we both fell in and out of sleep. By morning we had reached the deserted highway. I awoke to the sound of the Jeep shutting off. I was the last to get out of the car.

The cool fall air smacked me in the face and cut through my sweatshirt. Tucking my hands in my hoodie pockets I followed Rick and Hershel towards the Mustang we'd left food and water on for Sophia when we had thought she could still be alive.

The Mustang made me think of Bash and I had to turn away. The highway was still a grave yard of broken and useless cars piled on top of one another. My boots crunched and shattered shards of glass as I moved closer towards the others.

"Where's mom? You said she'd be here!" Carl exclaimed as he looked around the abandoned highway. No one has been through here since we broke down weeks ago. I kicked the tire to one of the cars in frustration. It felt like I was ready to explode into a million pieces.

"What are we doing? We have to go back! It's mom! We need to go after her and not be safe a mile away!" Carl yelled, causing Rick to get down at his level. He tried to calm him down, but it only seemed to make things worse. Carl pulled away from Rick and ran straight into me. He buried his face in my side as I wrapped my arms around his tiny shoulders. I rubbed his back lightly as he began to cry into my sweatshirt.

Rick lowered his eyes to the asphalt before getting to his feet. I guided Carl back to the Jeep and made him sit down. He had dried blood all over his neck and covering his freckle covered cheeks. I used my sleeve and tried to rub most of it away. I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade off the hood of the Mustang and gave it to Carl to sip on. I watched Hershel and Rick as I took care of Carl.

"You've got to get your boy to safety. I'll wait here for my girls and the others. I know a few places; we can meet up at one of them later on." Hershel said as he scanned the highway up and down nervously.

"Where? Where's safe?" Rick questioned him. I'm wondering the exact same thing there ranger Rick. Carl shared his Gatorade with me while we sat in the back of the Jeep. I took a small sip and noticed how sore my throat had become. I handed it back to Carl and got out of the car to join Rick and Hershel.

"We're not splitting up!" I hissed as I join them in front of the Mustang. Rick and Hershel both looked at me surprised that I'd spoken up. I'd hardly said a word since we left the farm. "We're stronger together than we are apart. We stick together and wait to see if they show up." I said, standing my ground. Rick looked at me and almost smiled. He nodded his head. "I agree with Riley, we're not splitting up." Rick said as he touched my shoulder.

"It's not safe. I'll hide in one of the cars, if a walker gets me than so it is. I've lost my farm, and most likely my girls." Hershel went on.

"You're a man of god, have some faith. If I didn't have the hope that my brother could still be alive I'd be curled in a ball on the ground right now. They could show up." I snapped back at him. I looked at the both before returning to sit with Carl in the Jeep.

Whoever invented time and waiting should be kicked in the balls, because it is the worst thing I've ever experienced in my entire life. I've been beaten and abused a majority of my life and it doesn't compare to the weight in my chest right now wondering when and if they will show up here. We've played ring around the Rosie with about five walkers. Hiding behind cars and letting them pass by without detecting us.

All of us were huddled behind the Jeep letting a hobo looking walker gimp by. I zipped Carl's jacket up while we waited and held his hand when he reached for mine. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up." Hershel whispered. His white hair was matted down with blood as well. We were all tired and on edge about ready to break.

"So what we just give up, and leave not knowing if my wife and your girls are alive." Rick retorted hastily. He had hoped like I did that the others would venture back here.

"Your only concern now is keeping your boy safe. Nature might be throwing us a curveball but that still remains true." Hershel whispered. I scratched some paint off the bumper of the Jeep with my fingernail nervously before I looked at Rick. His eyes were lowered to the ground. He was going over everything in his mind before he spoke. When he looked up I knew he was going to leave.

"Carl, it's not safe here. We need to move." Rick spoke calmly. I shook my head no as I stood there quietly. Off in the distance I could hear something. At first I thought it was just the wind rustling the remaining leaves on the trees off the highway, but then I realized it wasn't the wind it was a car.

A blue Ford pickup crept slowly down the highway towards us followed by a silver Hatchback. I smiled seeing Lori practically jumping out of the truck. They made it here. Maggie and Glenn got out of the Hatchback and hugged Hershel then me. Beth ran to her dad and wrapped her arms around him and began crying. I stepped off to the side to let everyone hug one another while I felt the pit in my stomach grow larger.

I looked up when I heard the sound of another car and could have burst into tears when I saw Bash's Mustang. I covered my hand over my mouth as Daryl got out of the passenger seat and let Carol out of the back. I flew into Daryl's arms before he could shut his door. He hugged me and kissed the side of my forehead. "You're okay." I whispered. Daryl groaned as I squeezed the life out of him.

"You think I wouldn't be?" He quipped back. I laughed and smiled as he hugged me again. Bash got out of the car gradually and looked at me. I let go of Daryl and walked directly into his chest. He through one arm around me and held me as tight as possible. I buried my face into the crook of his neck and breathed him in.

Bash caressed my cheek and pulled me into a tiny kiss as we stood there in front of everyone. I didn't care if they were all staring, I was just happy they were both okay. We leaned our foreheads together as I wrapped my arms around him. "I love you." He whispered as he held me against him.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked Daryl as we slowly moved forward towards the others. I noticed blood on Bash's jacket and how careful he was being with his left arm. I looked at him and he shook his head blowing it off. "I'm fine." He whispered, as I let him hold me close.

"Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road, I figured they must be Asian driving like that." Daryl said causing us all to laugh slightly.

"Nice," Glenn joked. Bash placed his hurt arm around me blocking the cold air as it swooshed by with the breeze. He felt so warm, almost too warm.

Shane, Patricia, Jimmy, and Andrea were the only ones who didn't make it off the farm. Everyone debated on going back for Andrea, but knew it was too dangerous to go. Rick was convinced that she wouldn't be there anyway.

"We need to keep moving. Head East and stay off the main roads. The bigger the road the more assholes like these we'll have to deal with." Daryl said as he raised his cross bow into the air to take down an oncoming walker. He released the arrow and took the walker down with ease.

Bash's Mustang was out of gas so we had to cram into the Jeep. We all piled into the cars and headed off the main highway in search of somewhere safe to spend the night, if that sort of place even existed anymore. I curled into Bash's side in the back seat and rested my head on his good shoulder. Sleep came and went for the both of us. Neither of us rested though. It's been hours since we've even seen hide or hair of a house or outbuilding on these old roads. I have a feeling we'll be sleeping in our cars tonight.

The cars went down the road like a night train. I looked up at Bash to see him already staring down at me. I gave him a shy smile as he leaned down to kiss me on the lips. Seeing Daryl and Bash alive and together made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. We felt the engine start to sputter as Rick cursed and smacked the wheel. He slowed down and honked the horn once signaling for the others to stop.

"We're running on fumes." He said to Lori before everyone but Bash and I got out of the car.

"Are you okay?" Bash whispered to me as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. I looped my arm through his and rested my head on his broad shoulder. "I was so scared you guys were…gone." I admitted to him, letting him tilt my chin up to look at him. Bash winced as he moved. I pulled his jacket off his shoulder and saw a huge gash on his arm. "Oh my god, were you…" I whispered looking at him horrified.

"It's not a bite. I got caught on the damn fence back at the farm." He said smirking at me, he removed his jacket the rest of the way and made me put it on despite my pleas that I was warm enough. I placed my hand on his cheek and felt him smile. We sat there for a moment and stared at each other in silence. We both know what we don't have to say. "I love you too." I whispered to him as he kissed me tenderly on the lips.

As we broke apart Bash took off his dog tag necklace and handed it to me. I looked at him confused as he slipped it into my hand. "I want you to have that." He said, looking at me innocently. "I can't take this. It's yours, from you brother. If I lose it I'd feel terrible." I protested trying to hand it back to him. He shook his head and took the necklace. "The only way I'll lose it is if I lose you, which I don't plan on." He said so perfectly.

Bash lifted my hair up and pushed it to the side and clasped the necklace around my neck. I felt him breathing lightly on the back of my neck and then felt him kiss the back of my neck. I turned around and kissed him on the lips again before we finally decided to join the others. We must have missed something important because half the group looked like they were ready to riot.

"Jenner told me at the CDC that we all carry whatever it is." Rick choked out. I looked at Daryl who was leaning against the Hatchback. Everyone flipped out shooting questions at Rick left and right about how he should have told us what Jenner had said.

In all honest it wouldn't have mattered if he told us or not. It doesn't change the fact of anything. Knowing we all carry whatever it is makes me feel a little sick to my stomach though. Daryl told me we were making camp behind some rock walls over in the woods, so we searched for firewood. Daryl and Bash never let me out of either of their sight the entire time.

We built a small fire to help keep us warm behind the rock walls. We must be just in the edge of a park or recreational area because these walls didn't just appear out of nowhere, they were built here purposely. Night fell upon us rather quickly. In the morning we'd search for gas and get the hell out of here. The moon shone brought above us casting our shadows on the rock walls.

I sat in between Bash's legs and rested my head on his arm draped over his knee. Every once in a while I would feel him kiss the side of my neck and he'd rub my arm to keep me warm. I held onto the necklace he'd given me and fought the urge to smile like an idiot. Despite everything we were still here and almost all of us were together. Daryl fed the fire small tree branches we'd collected and rolled his eyes at Bash and I. The wind blew and I shivered and felt Bash hold me tighter. "You warm enough there, princess?" He asked as I rolled my eyes. I've almost gotten used to him calling me that. Almost. I playfully elbowed him in the ribs and listened to him laugh lightly in my ear. Everyone talked in low whispers and kept to themselves. We heard a few leaves rustling and twigs snapping and everyone jumped to their feet weapons raised. I flinched but stayed on the ground. Bash squeezed my hand and the fear passed.

"We need to move now! We can't stay out here all night." Maggie said as the others agreed with her and began wanting to leave. Rick appeared from behind the rock wall and looked at everyone as the twigs snapped again.

"No one is going anywhere. We don't have the cars and the last thing we need is everyone running off in the dark.

"It's probably just a deer or a raccoon or something." Bash said reassuringly.

"You need to do something!" Carl said sharply to Rick. She's gotten pretty mouthy since Ed no longer has that hold over her. I'm actually proud of her in a way.

"I am doing everything for you people. For god's sake I killed my best friend for you all. You saw what he was like, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing to get me out in the woods to put a bullet in my back!" Rick went off, as he paced around our little makeshift camp. We always knew Shane was crazy, but this just takes it to a whole new level.

Everyone looked at Rick without saying a word. I looked at Lori who was now comforting a crying Carl in her arms. Rick stopped pacing and turned towards us. "You think you're better off without me then go ahead. See if you can make it on your own. I think there's a place for us. But maybe—maybe I'm fooling myself again. There's the door see how far y'all get!" Rick spewed. I've never seen him this upset before. Nobody moved an inch.

"No takers, fine. Let's get one thing straight, if you stay this is no longer a democracy." Rick said as he looked at each and every one of his. It was going to be his way or the highway. I guess in a way I understand what Rick did and why he had to do it. Shane was going to get us all killed. He was a monster, a loose cannon waiting to explode. Rick protected us, even if it meant doing something as horrible as murdering his best friend. It kind of reminds me of a book I read a long time ago "Mice and Men."

The guy killed his best friend so he wouldn't harm anyone else. That's what Rick had done. I looked at Daryl who gave me a nod meaning he understood too. Rick was our leader and we wouldn't be safer on our own. It's going to be rough this winter, but if we stick together and work together I believe we can make it…


	37. Chapter 37

**Back sooner than I thought! Due to the snow, my power was out all day so I wrote my first winter chapter, and now that the power is back on here it is. I think it sucks, but you guy's be the judge... You learn a bit more about Bash in this chapter. So umm let me know if you like it... maybe? :D Should I keep going with another winter chapter or skip ahead? **

**Chapter 37**

**Riley's Point of View**

**December: **

It's hard to believe it's been two month's since the farm was overrun with walkers. Now here we are holed up in an abandoned storage unit about one hundred miles from where the farm used to be. Mother Nature sure as hell hasn't done us many favors so far. It's in the middle of December; the trees are bare leaving us more exposed than ever. The nights are already freezing cold and I already have a feeling it's just the beginning. It took us a day and half to clear out an entire storage unit for us all to cram into. Let's just say we are all getting very cozy with each other.

The wind outside is raging tonight and I can hear the rain or sleet hitting the aluminum garage door to the storage unit. We were able to collect some warmer clothes while we cleaned out all of this person's useless junk. I mean who keeps ceramic cows? Why would you pay a hundred bucks a month to store this crap? It's ridiculous. I kicked a cow stuffed animal at my feet through my sleeping bag and watched it fall over onto its side.

Carl and I are both getting over being sick. Well Carl is better, I still feel terrible. It started out as a sinus infection according to Hershel and I think I'm getting pneumonia. I shuddered from the cold as I turned on my side. The storage unit was dank and smelled terrible. It was a mixture of dust and dirty gym socks, but it was warmer than being outside.

Everyone was fast asleep. I looked up and saw Daryl fidgeting in his sleep. He was lying above me while Carl, Lori and Rick flanked my left side. Bash was across the room per Daryl's request. I was too exhausted to argue with him when he threw Bash's sleeping bag over there. The wind howled and beat against the storage unit viciously. I suppressed a cough and noticed Bash was awake. I coughed quietly into my sleeping bag and shivered. The air was bitingly cold.

I watched as Bash quietly got up and wove through all of the sleeping bodies carefully trying not to disturb anyone. He made his way towards me and zipped himself into my sleeping bag behind me. "Daryl's going to k…k…kill you." I stuttered. Bash wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him. I was already feeling warmer.

"Daryl can kiss my ass." He whispered back. I smiled and closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep. We haven't been this close to each other in a while. It's really hard to with everyone always around.

After a while I rolled over and faced Bash, he was still wide awake. He touched the side of my face and gently kissed the top of my nose. He reached for my hands underneath the sleeping bag and sighed when he found them and held them.

"Riley, your hands are freezing." He whispered as he held them up and blew warm air on them. He kissed the tips of my fingers that were sticking out of my black gloves.

"I'm okay. It's just worse because I still feel sick." I whispered nuzzling into him. Bash unzipped his jacket and placed my hands underneath his shirt on his stomach. He radiated heat on to me. He didn't wince once from the cold of my hands on him. His skin was soft and smooth and warm, very warm.

"Better?" He asked as he kept my icicle hands on him. "You just wanted me to touch your chest." I stammered out.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." He whispered as his hand grazed my side. I pulled my hands out from under his shirt and snuggled into him as much as possible. He chuckled softly in my ear and I felt his steady even breaths as they touched the side of my face. Now he's causing shivers to run down my spine. I closed my eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep enclosed in Bash's arms.

We spent our days trying to stay warm. Daryl and Bash hunted as much as possible, but the animals weren't stupid they were hiding just like we were. I got up in the morning and walked underneath the half open garage door. The morning sun was blinding as I went to meet up with Bash and Daryl. They were perched on the tailgate of the new silver Dodge truck we'd found when the little Ford truck we had took a crap on us. I covered my hand over my mouth as I coughed and wheezed. Bash gave me a small smile as he hopped down to greet me. Dog was wagging his tail behind Daryl.

"You ready to go?" Daryl asked, popping a few pecans into his mouth then handing the tiny bag over to Bash. He took a few then handed it to me. I shook my head no and suppressed vomiting. This cold or whatever the hell it is surely is kicking my ass.

"Let's go." I said, as they grabbed their weapons and we set off into the woods. I'd found a regular bow at a general store we raided a few weeks ago. So I've been using that more so than my gun. It's quieter and easier to hunt with.

Everyone split up and moved out into the woods. My boots crunched the leaves as I went along. I climbed over a fallen tree branch and then hunkered down to listen for any movement up ahead. The silence was deafening. My chest felt heavy and my feet felt like someone had tied cinderblocks to the bottom of my boots. I coughed again and saw a squirrel scamper by in front of me.

I raised my bow and pulled back on the string resting it by my chin and then let it fly. It missed the squirrel by two feet. "Dammit." I whispered. I coughed again and hunkered over from the pain in my chest. We haven't had meat in about two weeks. A few canned goods isn't going to last us very long. Lori's pregnancy is advancing; she looks like she swallowed a coconut right now. I overheard Hershel telling Rick she's losing to much weight already. I coughed into my arm and was startled to see tiny specs of blood covering my brown coat. That can't be good. I continued along a small practically dried up riverbank and stopped when I saw Bash coming across to meet me. He didn't have anything tied to his belt…

"It's like they disappeared." He huffed as he walked beside me.

"No kidding. I saw a squirrel but it got away." I breathed out and watched the air turn into a cloud in front of my face. Bash noticed me shivering again and touched my elbow so I would stop and let him hold my hands in front of him. He rubbed them with his warm rough hands and kissed my forehead gently. Then we continued along the riverbank.

"Do you ever think about your parents?" He asked me as we walked.

"Sometimes, I guess. I wonder if their alive." I answered quietly. "Do you think about yours?" I asked hesitantly. Bash tensed up at my question and clenched his jaw shut. He never talked to me about his family, ever.

"You already know I hate talking about them, why do you keep asking?" He said sharply. Excuse the hell out of me I thought.

"I don't know, why do you always avoid talking about them. You act like you don't even care about them. I tell you everything. And you don't share anything with me?" I whispered to myself pretty much. Bash walked ahead of me and stopped and turned and looked at me. His face was tired and his eyes looked hurt.

"Fine, you want to know, I'll tell you. When I was ten my mom died of cancer and she left me all alone. So I ended up in Juvey until I was fourteen and then I was placed in foster care, so the people that you saw in that picture they weren't my parents. They adopted me so they could collect a check every month. It wasn't the happy go lucky family you saw in that picture. I don't like talking about it because I don't want to think about it. I don't want to relive watching my mom, the sweetest person I've ever known die of one of the worst diseases imaginable." He shouted at me angrily.

Bash stared at me for a few minutes before he walked to the other side of the creek bed. I felt numb and not from the cold. I didn't know what to say to him, I just stood there as he looked at me with a painful expression on his face. I followed him across the creek bed and tried to catch up with him. I grabbed his arm to make him stop walking, but he kept going. I stopped to cough and catch my breath, when I realized I couldn't catch my breath. My coughing and wheezing caused me to crouch down on my knees in the mud. Bash turned around as I started to hack up a decent amount of blood. It felt like my throat was trying to close up as I continued to cough up what I surely thought was my lung.

Bash ran back to me and knelt down beside me as I threw up more blood. He slipped his gun into the waistband of his pants and proceeded to pick me up off the ground. "Are you okay?" He whispered fear creeping into his voice. "I can't breathe." I choked out and wheezed and struggled to breathe as he carried me back to the storage unit.

"Hershel!" He yelled as he came to the storage unit door. Rick raised the door and ushered us inside. Bash lied me down on top of someone's sleep bag, probably his, as Hershel got down on the ground to check me over.

"What's wrong with her?" Bash said, kneeling down beside me. Hershel felt my forehead and unzipped my jackets and lifted my shirts up. He felt around on my stomach and rib cage for a few minutes while Bash pushed some hair off of my forehead.

"She has fluid in her lungs. I need to drain it out or she's going to drown in it." Hershel said as he took out his pocket knife and let Rick sterilize it over the tiny fire we had going in a barrel outside the door. Hershel asked Lori for a bottle cap and a tiny piece of tubing that had been used for something else.

"It's alright…" Bash whispered as Hershel placed two fingers in between my third and fourth rib, then I felt a sharp searing pain as he dug the edge of the knife into my side. I yelled out and moaned in between gasping for air. He dug in a little further and I closed my eyes and felt Bash's warm hand on my cheek. "It's okay, you're okay Riles." He reassured me. His voice was shaky.

Hershel removed the knife and placed the bottle cap over the incision after he cut a hole in it for the tube to fit through. Then I felt the pain in my lungs begin to ease up as the fluid in my lungs trickled out of me and down the tube onto the ground beside me. Apparently I was sicker than I even realized. Eventually I opened my eyes to see Daryl hovering over me as well. When did he get back I thought? Well this day has taken a drastic turn, and we still have not found any freaking food. Not that I could keep anything down if I even wanted to. I closed my eyes again as Bash held my hand…


	38. Chapter 38

**So Bash and Riley could be in some trouble by the end of this chapter...Maybe ;) Let me know whatcha guys think of this! I'm thinking one more winter chapter and then I will head into season three!**

**Chapter 38**

**Riley's Point of View**

**January/February:**

I spent the next week in and out of consciousness. We had no medicine so my body had to fight the pneumonia off all by itself. You don't appreciate how normal feels until you are sick, now I will appreciate normal so much more if I could just get back to it. I've thrown up my body weight within the past week, well it feels like my body weight, but I am probably being dramatic. I've been asleep for a while now.

Gradually I opened my eyes to see Daryl sitting next to me looking at a comic book we'd found clearing out the unit. I moaned as I sat up, the achiness still hadn't gone away but surprisingly I felt a little bit better. Glancing around I noticed Carl was working on his school work with Lori in the corner while Glenn and Maggie went through a few remaining boxes we hadn't thrown outside.

Daryl looked at me and I pulled my hood up over my head and sat next to him. Bash's sweatshirt was the comfiest thing I've ever worn. I've worn it so much his smell is fading off of it. I smirked to myself, and looked around for him…

"Where's Bash?" I asked my throat sore and voice cracking. I took a small sip of water out of my water bottle and felt the back of my throat burn as the cool water slid down to my stomach.

"Don't worry your little lover boy is fine. He's out with Rick and Hershel, they went to look for some supplies and maybe find you an antibiotic." Daryl responded as he got to his feet and picked up a tiny bowl full of brownish liquid. He made his way back to me and handed it to me, then sat back down next to me. I smelled the warm liquid and realized it was beef broth and felt my stomach growl.

"How long have they been gone?" I asked, sipping on the broth.

"Few hours, they should be back soon I would think." Daryl said as he covered my feet up with a really itchy wool blanket. It reminded me of the time Daryl came home wasted and passed out on the front porch. Merle and I had to drag him in the house and prop him up on the couch; I remember draping a wooly blue blanket over him before he hurled chunks across the room.

"This is nice you taking care of me for a change." I quipped, smiling as I took another sip of the salty beef broth. Daryl scoffed and flipped the page in his comic book.

"Don't get used to it. I always took care of you." He shot back playfully. I finished my broth and curled back up in my blankets next to my brother and read the comic book over his shoulder.

"I know, you were always there for me, no matter how bad things got. I knew I had you and Merle to turn to. I miss him." I whispered, trying to concentrate on the comic. It was something to do with Marvel and the Avengers that I could only half understand.

Daryl rested his head on top of mine for a moment, "I miss him too." He hardly whispered the words out. We haven't said much about Merle since he chopped his arm off and most likely met his demise in the city. I've just put all memories of him in a box in my brain and locked it, just like I've sort of done with my parents.

Eventually I must have dozed off on Daryl's shoulder, when I came to again Bash was sitting next to me asleep. The wind outside was raging as it beat up against the door wildly. I was lying on Bash's lap; I moved to sit up and felt him touch my side. As I looked at him he gave me a soft smile and I felt his fingers scratching my back lightly.

"Shift change." Bash whispered, noticing me searching for Daryl. I smiled lightly and felt him brush some hair behind my ear. His thumb grazed my cheekbone, "Feeling better?" He asked as he dug through his bag and pulled out a bottle of antibiotics and a Hershey's chocolate bar. "Actually, yeah a little bit. Where did you find that?" I half laughed out. Bash smiled and shook his head. He gave me some of the antibiotics and some water. I took the pills and set the water down by my feet.

"This is all mine, you're not getting any of it." He teased as he smelled the candy bar through the wrapper. He knew it was one of my favorite things. I rested my head on his shoulder as he slowly opened it and ate a few pieces. I moved my fingers over onto his chest and tried to steal a piece, but he pulled it away from me and laughed.

"That's cruel." I huffed out, relaxing into him more. He handed me half the candy bar as I looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed me ever so gently on the lips, I tasted chocolate. He smirked and wrapped his arm around me. I broke my half of the candy bar in half again and gave the remainder of it to Carl. He about tackled me as I handed it to him.

As night fell everyone settled in for the night. The temperature had dropped down a lot since this morning, causing me to huddle into Bash's sleeping bag with him. We lied there in silence for the longest time as he played with a curl in my hair. It was soothing. "I'm sorry I jumped on you about your family." I whispered as Glenn snored as loud as he's ever snored in his entire life. Maggie smacked him with her boot and forced us to look at them and laugh. I was playing with the zipper on the top of Bash's jacket as he lied there and looked at me.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn't have done that. I just have a hard time talking about her, and sometimes it feels like the memories I have of her are fading, so it's like the harder I try to hold on to them the more I feel them slipping away." He told me in a hushed tone.

"I understand more than you'll ever know." I whispered back to him as he caressed my cheek.

"I love you…" He whispered as he kissed me tenderly on the lips. He drew the kiss out as long as he could before taking a breath. I felt his face pull into a smile as he stared down at me through the darkness.

"I wish we were alone right now." He whispered into my ear as I pulled on his jacket so he would come closer. I bit my lip and felt the familiar flutter in my stomach. "I almost always wish that." I told him as he sighed and pulled me into him. He was a warm pillow to sleep on. I fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat in my ear…

Our stay at the storage unit was short, a little over a month before we had to move. The fences surrounding the storage place had all but fallen down, that or they had been torn down when people tried to loot the place. The walkers had been roaming closer and closer towards us, finally they closed in and we had to go. We all ended up sleeping in our cars for about a week. Here we are mid-winter sleeping in our broke down cars on the side of the road. It was creepy to say the least. I think by the time we found a house on the outskirts of town to huddle up in we were all pretty sick of one another.

The house was small with a tiny front porch. It was probably a two or three bedroom two story home. It looked rundown from the outside. The upstairs windows were broken and shattered in places, while the shutters hung loosely from the side of the brick walls. The boy's cleared the house and it became our new home… for a while. The inside was a disaster. Someone had obviously picked through this place pretty good, you could tell by all the broken furniture and trash that had taken over the floor.

We piled all of the mattresses into the living room, and by all I mean two. Lori slept on one while Carl got the other because he was little. The kitchen matched the rest of the house. The cabinets were busted and missing in some spots. The sink was broken in the kitchen, leaving us with a slow steady drip of water.

We've been here around two weeks and have taken down fifteen walkers. It's like the cold hasn't effected them at all, they still keep haunting us everywhere we go like ghosts. I was sitting on the front porch steps after everyone else left to go on a run. Lori even tagged along. Her belly was steadily growing. The other day I even felt the baby kick her. It was the most precious thing I'd ever experienced in my life. I heard the front door open and close behind me and felt Bash sit down next to me.

I looped my arm through Bash's and leaned my head on his shoulder. He slipped his hand in my own, our fingers intertwining. I looked up at him and rested my chin on his shoulder. He turned and smiled at me slightly as the wind blew and a few flurries flitted to the ground. Bash leaned in and kissed me on the lips gracefully. He pulled back and looked at me with a fire burning in his eyes, then caressed my cheek and kissed me again.

"We are actually alone, can you believe it?" He whispered, as we continued to kiss while the reckless winter air swarmed around us. I smiled as he stood up and led me inside.

"It's quiet." I laughed out, as Bash pulled me down on top of him on his sleeping bag. I laughed as I sat up on top of him and felt him place his hands on my hips. "What?"

I asked when he kept staring at me. "We're alone."he said, as he lied there and looked up at me.

"So…" I replied, not following what he was trying to get at. He smirked and sat up to face me. We were out of focus and eye to eye. "We're alone." He whispered, as he slowly unzipped my jacket. I swallowed the lump in my throat and let him. He pulled me into a kiss and let his hands wonder to my sides.

Slowly he slipped my jacket off and let fall to the ground beside us. Then he removed his own jacket, and continued to kiss me fiercely. He maneuvered me over him on to the sleeping bag and hovered over me. I ran my fingers through the back of his dark shaggy hair and kissed him. He unbuttoned my red white and blue plaid shirt and let his hands drift under my tank top. I shuddered at the touch of his hands. Bash sat up for a moment to remove his shirt and flung it on the ground and reached for the button to my jeans…

"Do you have something?" I asked as he kept kissing me. He paused for a minute breathing heavily in my ear. "I did, but I gave it to Glenn." He huffed out and buried his face in my hair beside my face then he looked at me. "We can still…" He started to say smirking and kissing the side of my lips teasing me. "No way, we'll have to wait until you get something." I whispered as he continued kissing my neck. "Yeah because it's so easy to grab condoms while I'm on a run with your brother, come on Riles?" He said looking at me. He caresses my cheek and look at me like I was the only thing that mattered to him. I couldn't help but laugh at the comment he'd made.

"What are the chances of something happening?" He tried to persuade me. We shouldn't do this, I could so easily get pregnant and end up like Lori. Then I'd be jeopardizing the group even more. Every thought in my mind said we needed to stop, but I just couldn't do it. I pulled my shirt over my head and stared at Bash as he looked at me. It didn't take long before we were so tangled up and lost in each other…


	39. Chapter 39

**Wrote this chapter on zero sleep so I apologize in advance if it sucks. This chapter does have mature themes in it so please read at your own risk. I would love to know what you think!? Maybe drop a review, purdy please! ;) **

**Chapter 39**

**Riley's Point of View**

Bash caressed my cheek as we continued to kiss. I could hear the water dripping from the kitchen sink. As Bash kissed the side of my neck slowly I heard a low screeching sound coming from somewhere else in the house. I placed my hand on Bash's chest and forced him to stop and look at me.

"What's wrong?" He breathed out, tucking a few curls behind me ear.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking towards the kitchen. Bash and I stayed still for a few moments before he grazed his lips against the side of my neck again.

"I didn't hear anything." He said between breaths. I don't know why, but it felt like we were being watched somehow. I felt uncomfortable and exposed. Do you know how when someone else walks up behind you and you can sense they are standing there. I had that feeling right now and I couldn't shake it.

When I was younger Halloween was my favorite holiday. There was something so thrilling about being able to become someone or something else for a night. Daryl got the bright idea to scare the hell out of me one night. He had gone out for a bit to do god knows what. I was lying in bed when I heard my bedroom door creak open. We had the windows open so I chocked it up to the wind pushing it open, but I had a creepy feeling that maybe it wasn't the wind.

So I hid under my blankets thinking if I was completely covered by my blanket nothing could get me. Completely logical, right? Wrong! The harder I tried to pretend it was the wind the more I felt like something was in my room. When I peered out from under the blankets Daryl was staring back at me at the foot of my bed wearing a scream mask.

Bash continued to kiss me all over the place. I heard the same screeching sound again and then it sounded like something fell. This time Bash heard it too. He looked at me and slowly sat up and pulled his shirt on, as I did the same. Rick and the others practically just left, they shouldn't be back yet. Unless they forgot something. But they would come in through the front door. We were hearing noises coming from the back of the house.

Bash held his fingers up to his mouth and mouthed shh signaling for me to stay quiet as we both got to our feet. Bash and I slowly crept into the kitchen, and peered around the yellow painted kitchen cabinets to see a shadowy figure outside the window on the back door. The sheer curtain blurred whatever was standing beyond it. I touched Bash's arm as he walked towards the door and opened it gradually.

A walker had roamed up onto the tiny broken down back porch. The wood was so rotted it's foot had gone completely through the wood. That must have been the loud thud we had heard. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Huh, never thought I'd be relieved to see a walker. Bash stepped outside and pulled his knife out of his pocket and plunged it into the walkers head seamlessly. The flurries earlier had turned into actual huge snowflakes. I felt the cold air hit me as I stood in the doorway and watched the snow drift to the ground. "Stay inside where it's warmer, I'm going to get whoever this was off the porch." Bash said, gesturing towards the deformed older man lying motionless on the porch. Bash kissed my forehead before I stepped back and closed the door.

I looked through a few of the cabinets in the kitchen hoping we'd missed a can of something when we'd done our first sweep of the place. But I came up empty handed. The food in the home we had found were two cans of peaches. I crossed my arms over my chest and made my way back into the living room.

I knelt down and sifted through my tiny leather back pack for a hair tie to pull my hair back, but couldn't find one. I got to my feet and used my bracket to pull my hair into a messy bun. The house was extremely quiet with just myself inside. I glanced at the wooden staircase to my right when I heard floorboards popping. I moved towards the steps and peered up them, but heard nothing. I backed away from the stairs and felt something or rather someone clamp their rough hand over my mouth. I let out a horrid scream as I was pulled backwards.

My heart raced a thousand times per second as I tried to wrench myself free. "Shut up!" A gruff voice spoke from behind me. He shoved me towards the kitchen as the back door swung open, Bash was forced inside by two men that looked like they'd been living on the road for a really long time. They held a rifle against Bash's back. The man holding me pushed his face against the side of my own and I felt his rough beard scratch the side of my face. His breath smelled awful. "Look what we have here!" He shot out to the other two men who laughed.

"Looks like we got some intruders. Whatcha y'all think your doing in here?" The man behind me spat out as he pulled out a pocket knife and ran the tip of it down the side of my cheek onto my arm. I squirmed and tried to break free. "Get the hell off of me!" I croaked out, as Bash clenched his jaw down. He had his hands up in surrender as the dark haired guy behind him jammed the gun into his back more. "This is our home, who the hell do you think you are coming in here?" The dark haired guy asked.

"We didn't know anyone lived here. It looked vacant. But we'll leave." Bash spoke through gritted teeth. He kept his eyes locked on the guy holding me. I felt warm tears escape my eyes no matter how hard I tried to keep them from falling out. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to figure out how the hell we were going to survive this. These people didn't look or act friendly in any way shape or form. I tried to pull my arms out of the guys grip but he yanked me back into him once again.

"Let her go." Bash ordered as he saw the fear washing over me. He seemed more scared for me than he did for himself.

"Let her go, I can't do that. Just like I can't let you leave here without some sort of payment. You stayed in our home, ate our food, used our beds to screw around in. That's a lot stuff in there for two people, where's the rest of your group." The man said behind me. He had been holding my arms so tight my arms were starting to feel numb and sting. Bash looked at me and shifted on his feet.

"It's just us. You can have are stuff, just let us go." He said, looking at the guy behind me infuriatingly. I heard a sickening laugh escape from the man digging his nails into my arm then felt him shove me forward into the cabinets. I gripped the white countertop and turned around to see an older man probably Ricks age, with long greasy black hair.

He sauntered towards me and pinned me against the cabinet before I could move. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. As soon as he grabbed me Bash moved forward only for the other two men to pull him back. I squirmed and pushed the freak off of me. "She looks pretty tempting." One of the other men said, causing them all to laugh. My mind was racing and I wanted to run but I couldn't. "We ain't had a nice piece of ass in awhile." The guy with the rifle snapped out. "Go to hell!" I hissed out as he let go of my face. He wore one of those old mechanics shirts with a name tag that read Johnny…

"Get the fuck off of her!" Bash yelled as he struggled against the two guys holding him back. The creep holding me slipped his hand under my shirt and felt my side as I squirmed and screamed for him to get of of me. Bash yelled and that's when I saw one of the men punch him in the face. I felt around on the counter behind me for anything I could use to defend myself with. I grabbed what I think was coffee mug and slammed into the side of Johnny's head as hard as I possibly could. He stumbled backwards as I tried to make a break for the living room where Bash's gun had been lying on the floor.

I fell into the side of the fridge as I was pulled back my hair. I screamed out in pain as I was thrown onto the floor. Bash was being drug out the back door. "Bash!" I screamed as I heard him yell for me. I scrambled to get out of the kitchen. I needed to get the gun. They were going to kill us. Johnny grabbed me by my foot and yanked me back onto the cold kitchen tiles, then he was i top of me, pinning my arms above my head. I screamed and shouted but he laughed and tried to kiss the side of my face. I managed to get one arm free and scratched the side of his face, he slammed his fist into the side of my face in return.

"Please don't do this!" I cried as he unzipped his paints and grinned at my viciously. I squirmed and tried to kick him in the crouch but he jammed his hand under my shirt and clutched my side. He's going to rape me. I was panicking and couldn't think of anything else other than this person was about to rape me.

I felt him reaching for my waist when I looked up and saw my boots lying just a little out of reach above my head. I hit and pounded on Johnny's chest as he grunted and groaned and fought to get my jeans undone. I inched my way towards my boots, and the knife I kept in my boots. It was closer than Bash's gun. What are they doing to Bash? I kept squirming and fighting until I touched my boot. I almost had it.

"Stop!" I screamed as he pulled my jeans down a little at a time. I knocked my boot over with my fingertips and could see the knife resting inside of it. My adrenaline was rushing through my body as I grasped the knife, I didn't think I just slammed it into the side of the guys neck. He froze as blood started pouring out of the side of his neck. He fell forward on top of me, it took everything in me to shove him off of me.

He gagged on his own blood as it spewed out of his neck and mouth. I pulled my jeans up and stumbled to get to my feet. I tasted blood in my mouth, as I fell into a wall. I clutched my side as I remembered Bash, that's when I heard a gunshot. Then I heard another shot explode from outside.

I couldn't move and I couldn't breathe. Bash needed me but I froze. I screamed as I covered my hands over my head and his my face in my knees as I slid down the wall into a sitting position. My entire body was trembling as I heard the back door get flung open. I looked up terrified to see….


End file.
